Whether it’s Tom Dumoulin running a 32.38 10km, Adam Yates clocking a sub-3hr marathon or even Tom Pidcock posting a fantastical 13.25 5k on Strava, the growing number of cyclists achieving fast running times makes you wonder if there’s an unofficial foot race going on in the pro peloton. Then again, the revelation that Primož Roglič enjoys a daily jog even during the Tour suggests it’s as much to do with ritual and enjoyment as it is performance. As a cyclist who also runs, I wanted to find out if the two disciplines are mutually beneficial. Can target-driven running also make us faster on our bikes – or at least not slow us down?
A colleague tipped me off in September that the latest example of a pro cyclist taking to running could be the most spectacular yet: Freddy Ovett was targeting sub-2:30 at the Berlin Marathon. It captured my attention for two reasons. First, I figured that with the surname Ovett, a certain level of natural talent could be taken for granted. (If you’re too young to remember the early Eighties, all you need to know is that Freddy’s dad Steve was the best middle-distance runner in the world.) Second, I knew from personal experience exactly what it took to go sub-2:30 in Berlin: I’d set my PB there exactly 10 years ago.
Ovett Jnr agreed to speak to me by video call from his home in Girona, Spain, a fortnight before the race. The first thing I was curious to know was how a full-time professional rider gets the OK
