Riding at the front to feel safe: Tim Declercq on fear in the peloton

The Belgian, began his professional career at Topsport Vlaanderen Mercator in 2012 and became something of a cult figure after joining Quick-Step in 2017, where his long stints at the head of the peloton in support of sprinters like Marcel Kittel and Mark Cavendish earned him the affectionate nickname ‘El Tractor’. The moniker was first bestowed upon him by the announcer at the Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina.

Declercq, who retired at 36 after a distinguished career that saw him become one of the peloton's most respected domestiques, opened up about the mental challenge of racing at speeds exceeding 80 kilometers per hour in tight bunch formations on the Domestique Hotseat podcast.

"I tried so many times, but I couldn't really put this aside," Declercq said when asked whether safety concerns occupied his mind during races. "I tried to analyse things a little bit and I was of course lucky to be always more towards the front. And that's the most safe spot in the bunch."

Declercq explained how he adapted his racing strategy to manage the anxiety, calculating well in advance where he needed to be positioned to avoid the most dangerous situations.

"Sometimes I knew how I was thinking. So then I was thinking already before. I said, I already need to be in the front there, because as long as I could ride in the wind, of course, I could hold it for quite some time," he said. "I kind of adapted my strategy a little bit based on that."

The former Quick-Step and Lidl-Trek rider admitted that on particularly fast descents, the stress would sometimes become overwhelming. "On those descents where the speed was so high, then I sometimes I just drifted completely to the back," Declercq revealed.

Despite retiring partly due to safety concerns, Declercq has now taken on a coaching role, bringing younger riders into the very sport he left. When asked about this apparent contradiction, he offered a thoughtful perspective on cycling's value.

"I think I would still allow it. I would not push for it, but I would for sure still allow it because it gave me such beautiful moments. It taught me so much about life," said Declercq, referring to whether he would let his own children race.

"The sport also teaches me how to react on something that didn't go right. And I think this will help me a lot during the rest of my life," he added. "It teaches you a lot how you can bounce back from a setback and I think this will help them, my kids or anybody who's still participating in cycling."

When discussing the UCI's response to safety concerns, Declercq praised the introduction of minimum handlebar width requirements but identified what he believes is the sport's fundamental safety challenge.

"Of course, first of all, I really am a fan of the minimum handlebar width," Declercq said, before adding, "But actually the biggest problem is the riders themselves without throwing a stone to anybody because it's just so important to always be there in the front and there's only place for 20 riders in the first 20."

However, Declercq refused to accept that the sport's dangers are simply unavoidable, suggesting that technological solutions and cultural shifts could make a difference.

"It's maybe a bit naive, but I have something I don't want to settle for that idea," he said. "Maybe they could in theory also make an airbag system or something like this."

He also called for a mentality shift within the peloton itself. "Having your life, I think, is always more important and having a little bit more respect towards each other in the bunch. I think this is something where the whole bunch could benefit from."

Declercq recalled occasionally trying to calm situations during races when positioning battles became too intense. "Sometimes when the positions were made, sometimes I said to the riders close to me, just stay in position. Positions are made now and I think most of the times they also kind of listen to this."

"In the end you're just overtaking each other at some points and they just make it super dangerous, more dangerous," he added.

Watch the full episode with Tim Declercq on the Domestique Hotseat 👇