What is Your Peak?

Your quest, your goal, the ultimate sporting peak you’ve been chasing since you first got on a bike. Whatever your discipline, everyone sets a goal — one defined by their own perception of pushing personal limits. And that goal can only be reached through relentless discipline, every single day. It becomes the solid foundation upon which you build the best version of yourself.
This summit is an inner journey. A search for meaning, for self — almost philosophical: what drives you, every day, to get back on your bike despite the constraints, the fatigue, even injuries?

Professional athletes are no exception to this reflection. Their personal journey constantly faces adversity: pushing physical and mental limits, shining after injury, carving their own path, or triumphing at the finish line after years of drought — each sees a different summit, one unique to their sport and personality. It is in this inner mirror, where the spirit of elite performance is reflected, that we invite you to dive each week through a series of twelve exceptional portraits.
An intimate and personal spotlight — as captivating as it is inspiring!

Anton Cooper – The Wisdom of the Kiwi

Sometimes, the fire of youth brings misguided certainties. Anton Cooper knows this better than anyone, having once imagined himself dominating the XC mountain bike circuit by the age of 30. But nothing ever goes entirely according to plan in a sporting career. Anton Cooper learned this the hard way. He shed the pride of a young champion to overcome persistent physical setbacks that kept him off the world podiums. His secret? An unshaken “willingness to suffer” and the ability to draw – from every obstacle – an inexhaustible strength to reclaim his level. In truth, Anton Cooper has matured. The eternal New Zealand Cross-Country MTB champion now capitalizes on this resilience in the face of pain. It’s what enabled him to finish 6th at the Tokyo Olympics and to secure so many Top 10 finishes in World Cup rounds. The wisdom of the All Black is challenging Europe once again!

Louis Reboul – The Art of Shaping

Digging, shoveling, scraping, and starting over. Shaping is an art form that belongs exclusively to the freestyler’s repertoire. Louis Reboul is one of those modern-day gardeners who build and rebuild the most challenging terrains to their liking, driven by inspiration and the flow of ever more spectacular tricks. From the Red Bull Rampage to his homemade favorite spot, La Mine, Louis Reboul approaches his discipline through the total creativity it demands: from ramps to curves, everything is designed, built, and tested before launching stratospheric tricks into the air. In the end, his true focus lies, paradoxically, on the ground—with the shovel and pickaxe on which all his tricks depend. So, next time you watch one of his videos or see him compete in a slopestyle event, think about the painstaking groundwork carried out by those calloused hands. Hands, a sharp mind, and a touch of madness—that’s what his art is made of!

Juliana Londono – Ambassador of Colombia

In a women’s peloton largely dominated by European nations, Juliana Londono stands out as a rare exception. The young Colombian, newly arrived in the Picnic PostNL team, is one of only two riders representing her country in the world's top-tier races on the World Tour. Wearing her national champion’s jersey—and only 20 years old—Juliana is a bright talent with a radiant smile, now ready to shine across Europe. A track cyclist by training (and by talent), she has one clear, ambitious, and precise goal: to become the ambassador of Colombian women’s cycling—a sport long overshadowed by the glory of her male compatriots. From her time at the World Cycling Centre to her Pan-American road championship titles, her mission lies in the space between the roads where she plans to make her mark and the growing popularity she wants to use for the benefit of others. Because she’s certain of one thing: Colombia has an immense pool of untapped potential.

Charlotte Kool – An Instinct: Confidence!

What if physical strength wasn't actually the key factor for a sprinter? Charlotte Kool is living proof. When it comes to raising her arms in victory during bunch sprints, the Dutch rider relies above all on unwavering self-confidence and the instinct of a fierce beast to outpace the competition. From her very first pedal strokes, she learned to push past her own fears: rarely the best when she was younger, often dropped, she eventually built a strong mental armor capable of withstanding any storm. Now unsinkable, this relentless hard worker has forged steel-like thighs to dominate the very sprint finishes where she once struggled in the youth categories. Today, her steely character will once again serve her well as she looks to repeat her successes from the 2024 Tour de France (2 stage wins and a stint in the yellow jersey), but above all, to inspire young cyclists who, like she once did, may still be wavering!

Fabio Jakobsen – The Unbelievable Strength of Character

A sprinter is a cyclist with a fierce personality who hates to lose. Fabio Jakobsen despises defeat the way one scorns an overly burdensome enemy: from a very young age, the Dutchman has categorically refused failure — a mindset instilled by his father and which, over time, has become his unwavering mantra. This mental strength — almost unbelievable — has pulled him out of the darkest moments of his life and lifted him ever higher in the ranks of the greatest champions in history. In truth, Fabio Jakobsen is driven by a form of madness that is extremely rare among athletes: a spark that, even when battered by opposing winds, refuses to be extinguished by fate. It’s also this deep inner flame that now allows him to look ahead to the rest of his career with greater peace of mind. Free of physical setbacks, Fabio is back with a vengeance, sharpened even more by his intense distaste for losing. The podiums are waiting for him!

Max Poole – Throwing Everything into the Fight

Cyclist and warrior — the analogy is well-founded. Cycling is a constant battle that reveals the bravest characters and the boldest attitudes. Max Poole belongs to that caste of gladiators who never give up. He is part of a new generation that goes all-in at every race and only counts the rewards once the finish line is crossed. The 22-year-old Brit, a specialist in stage races, approaches both the physical and mental battle with precocious intensity: for him, victory is only conceivable at the end of a long process of total commitment, where one must give everything. Winning, yes — but only if it means leaving an indelible mark on the race. Max Poole possesses that chivalrous flair, a rare weapon that could lead him to the sport’s greatest victories — including Grand Tours?

Marta Cavalli – Whispers to the Body and Mind

It is a complex, almost mystical connection that binds the body to the mind—one that every athlete relies on to push through pain. Marta Cavalli deeply understands the need to nurture this intimate dependence, drawing from deep within to find the strength to rise higher. Thanks to her experience, the Italian puncheur knows how to “speak” to her legs in order to push past those thresholds of pain that hold back performance. She constantly whispers kind chants to her body, seeking a virtuous sense of well-being through personal balance. Once this stability is achieved, results follow: it is this approach that led her to triumph in the biggest classics on the calendar (notably the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne). And it is also with this mindset that she now dreams of once again stepping onto the podium of her home Grand Tour.

Oscar Onley – Attack in His Blood

When young Oscar is asked in his small hometown of Kelso what he dreams of becoming one day, his answer is striking: a breakaway cyclist. His attacking spirit was born early. And with it, a young athlete who, despite his precocity, refuses to blend into the invisible mass of the peloton. Oscar Onley carves out his path with this philosophy always in mind: wasn’t it through relentless pure-climber skirmishes that he earned his stage win at the Tour de Suisse and his 3rd place overall? Yet, the Scot is aiming higher, further, grander—and wants to be remembered only for his boldness. The Grand Tours, with their three weeks of electrifying racing, seem destined to become (or are already becoming) his playground for daring moves. With some major feats in store? Without a doubt. See you on the Tour de France, Oscar!

Louis Jeandel – The Conqueror at the Gates of the Summit

Some second-place finishes feel like victories—so deeply fulfilling they make you forget the bitterness of a silver medal. Louis Jeandel was Enduro Vice World Champion last year in Italy (the first in history). And today? He’s not coming back to defend that spot or that now-too-humble metal. He’s coming back to rebuild everything, in his own way, with his Spicy CF and the killer instinct of a trail warrior whose piercing blue eyes are locked on gold. Because Louis Jeandel never surrenders—neither in the face of adversity nor injury. His conquering spirit keeps him riding toward the ultimate prize. In World Cup rounds and in life, it’s this unique warrior mindset that drives him to reach his own personal and athletic summit. A summit that’s just waiting to be conquered—once again—with the capture of the rainbow jersey!

Rachele Barbieri – Resilience as a Finish Line

There are invisible victories. The quieter ones that unfold far from the spotlight, on the roads of doubt and the slopes of discouragement. Rachele Barbieri – athlete of Team Picnic PostNL and a sprinter with a huge heart – knows every twist and turn of that winding path that leads to triumph. A world champion on the track at just 20 years old, this early talent has always brushed shoulders with greatness in velodromes.
But then the wooden track gave way to the less forgiving tarmac, where a remarkable resilience was born in the Italian rider. Rachele drew from a deep well – her belief in herself and the silence of solitary effort – to return to the forefront of the cycling scene. She rose again to be where she feels most alive: in the heart of the chaos of a sprint, legs burning and eyes locked on the finish line.

Pavel Bittner - Balance is the Key to the Top

Pavel Bittner is a perfectionist. An idealist who believes in doing things right and leaving nothing to chance — unpredictability has no place in his world. Nutrition, training, family life, and mental-bike balance: the Czech rider approaches every detail with a fresh and thoroughly modern mindset. He draws strength from those around him — from the energy of his loved ones and from a meditative practice both on and off the bike — giving him an edge that could lead him to victory in the world’s biggest races.
For him, balance between professional and personal life is the very definition of success. And it shows in his results, with hard-fought victories, notably at the 2024 Vuelta.

This young puncheur, with his powerful, refined style, doesn’t let anyone intimidate him: the stability he’s found with his Xelius DRS is his ticket to the sport’s most prestigious events.