Larry Warbasse on avoiding burnout and becoming a Giro guy: 'I didn't ask for it'

“I don’t know, I didn’t ask for it,” Warbasse laughed when Domestique inquired how he had come to be designated as a Giro d'Italia specialist by a succession of teams.

“I don’t even particularly enjoy it all that much, but I don’t know… They just put you in and then you go where they tell you. I mean, it’s a nice race and I love Italy, but it’s hard…” 

Warbasse is well versed by now in preparing for a Grand Tour in May, and he warmed up for the main event at another familiar staging post, lining out at last month’s Tour of the Alps. Despite advances in training techniques over the course of his career, Warbasse reckons there is no substitute for a race like that before the main event.

“I don’t think that’s changed. I think it’s still probably the best prep to do a long altitude camp and then do a solid race before the Giro,” Warbasse said. “Romandie is too close to the Giro, but the Tour of Alps really gets you, as they would say, the race rhythm. And you get super long climbs, even some of the climbs you’ll see in the Giro. It’s hard racing but usually not too stressful, so it’s one of the best prep races for the Giro.”

Warbasse raced alongside his Giro leaders at the Tour of the Alps, with Michael Storer and Mathys Rondel both finishing in the top five. Storer, who placed 10th at last year’s Giro, is Tudor’s obvious GC figurehead again this time around, but the 21-year-old Rondel will also be given the freedom to chase a high overall finish in what will be the first Grand Tour of his career.

“I don’t even know if we know totally,” Warbasse said of Rondel’s role. “I don’t think they’re going to put too much pressure on him, so I think he’ll approach it maybe with an eye on the GC, but without stress because it’ll be his first Grand Tour. He’s obviously shown that he’s in super good form and a really good rider, so anything’s possible, but I think it’s important just to go in and see what happens, because you never know how you’re going to react over three weeks.”

Warbasse, on the other hand, heads into the 13th Grand Tour of his career with a firm idea of what he can bring to the table over the three weeks. The 35-year-old amassed a treasury of experience across his spells at BMC, IAM Cycling, Acqua Blue and AG2R before landing at Tudor last season with a brief that suited him to a tee.

“I have like a really nice role here for where I am in my career,” Warbasse said. “I guess I'm one of the most experienced riders on the team, and I get to help the leaders but also help the young guys. It’s nice because that’s where I feel like I can really give my best and get the best out of myself. And, yeah, occasionally I still get a shot to go on some breaks, but I’m really there for the leaders and the young guys, to help them as much as I can.”

Warbasse remains under contract with Tudor until the end of 2027, which will be his 15th season as a professional. The demands of his sport, mental perhaps more than physical, have seemed to grow exponentially in that time, but Warbasse has managed to avoid becoming jaded by the experience – as evidenced, for instance, by his amiable, freewheeling contributions when he moonlights as a recurring guest on The Cycling Podcast. 

“I think you really need to learn how to balance everything,” Warbasse said. “In the past, I didn’t have that, and I think there’s a lot of guys that don’t have that. In the past, I used to think you needed to live like a monk in this Spartan lifestyle to be the best you can be, but I think for me – and probably for most people – if you actually have a bit of balance in your life, it allows you to then go harder when you need to. 

“In the past I just thought I needed to lock myself on top of a mountain and starve myself and whatever to be my best, but now I realise you just need to learn how to ride the wave, and know when to lock down and when to relax. I guess that allows you to be consistent and stable over the whole year.

“I think that allows me to enjoy the sport quite a bit more because I, for the most part, enjoy my life. That’s maybe where a lot of guys go wrong, in that they don’t really enjoy their lives. And then that’s a recipe for a not very long career, I’d say.”