‘Racing is the best way to improve’ - Veistroffer still fresh after more race days than anyone in 2026
The Lotto-Intermarché rider finished the season at the top of the race-days list and says he would not change his programme, only how he prepares for the Tour.
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Baptiste Veistroffer says he still feels fresh after racing more days than any other rider in the peloton this season, and that racing, rather than training, is the way he gets better.
The Lotto-Intermarché rider logged 85 UCI race days in 2026, according to ProCyclingStats, two more than his teammate Liam Slock and almost double Tadej Pogačar’s 44. His season ran from the Tour Down Under on 20 January to the Tour of Guangxi on 18 October, the first and last races on the WorldTour calendar.
Speaking to Domestique, he attributed his lack of fatigue to how the team planned his year.
“Actually I still feel quite good and still fresh, because with the team we managed the season really well,” Veistroffer told Domestique. “It was mostly big blocks of racing, then some rest, and then one more big block of racing.”
Improving
Veistroffer only became a full-time professional in 2023, having previously worked as an engineer for the French Navy and competed in triathlons, and he sees the volume of racing as part of catching up.
“Racing a lot is also quite important for me, because in the race I can improve,” he said. “For me, racing is the best way to improve, to keep the process going and to get stronger. That’s why I like it. Racing is all about experience, and I need to improve my experience.”
He has no plans to cut back, though he would change one thing. Veistroffer made his Tour de France debut in July, spending 144 kilometres alone in the breakaway on stage 5 and taking the combativity award three times, but arrived with a heavy racing load already behind him.
“I feel like this is the best way for me for a season,” he said. “Maybe we can prepare the Tour de France a bit better, because I arrived at the Tour with a lot of racing already. But I actually really liked this season.”
His first professional win came in February, on stage 2 of the Tour of Oman, after 183 kilometres in the breakaway. When he spoke to Domestique days later, he said it was “only the start”. Lotto-Intermarché have since extended his contract for two more seasons.
He accepts that a break now matters, even if he is already itching to ride. His off-season will include a bikepacking trip through Cambodia and Vietnam, as he told La Dernière Heure earlier this week, and he has turned it into a fundraiser.
“I felt like it was a good point now for recovery. I really felt that having a short break can be good,” Veistroffer said. “But it’s crazy how motivated I feel. I’m going on another bikepacking trip of 2,500 kilometres with a charity action, because I found some sponsors for it.”
