Race news
'Cycling had exhausted me' - Valter on finding peace after leaving Visma
Attila Valter (Bahrain Victorious) has spoken candidly about the toll that years of chasing results took on his mental health, saying he hit a point where his body stopped responding.
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Cor Vos
Attila Valter is not short of pedigree. Fourth at the Olympic road race at Paris 2024. Top five at the UAE Tour. Fourth at Strade Bianche. Three Hungarian road race titles on the bounce.
But three seasons at Visma | Lease a Bike, one of the most demanding environments in professional cycling, wore him down. The 27-year-old moved to Bahrain Victorious for the 2026 season on a three-year deal, and speaking to CyclingProNet, he didn't hold back about what drove the decision.
"I think change is always a good thing in everyone's life. It hasn't shown in the results yet, I'm not where I wanted to be, but I'm enjoying my days and my life more. I think this will bring strength back to my legs," said Valter.
The results at his new team haven't jumped off the page so far, with a 10th-place finish at the Clásica Jaén his best result so far in 2026. But Valter made clear that isn't really the point right now.
"The mental part. Cycling had exhausted me. I was tired. I was focusing too much on losing weight, getting in shape, and wondering if I was good enough. At a certain point, you question everything. A sort of midlife or career crisis, which perhaps comes earlier in cyclists."
"Even when I felt good and tried my best, my body was limited. It took longer than I expected to come back from that point. But it can happen to anyone," said Valter.
What pulled him out of it wasn't a new coach or a new training plan. He just stopped trying to fix himself.
"I tried a lot of things, and maybe the best thing is not to try at all. I have a good career, I'm proud of myself, and I have great family support and good friends."
"When you focus on how to improve, you always end up feeling like you're missing something. I've come to the point of realising I don't lack anything. I have everything I need. I focus on that and feel the bike going faster every day."
In a sport obsessed with watts per kilo and altitude camps, you don't hear a professional rider say he has enough very often. But Valter reckons it's working.
