Cycling, Walscheid: "After retirement I will become a doctor"

Rome, January 16, 2025 - In group Maximilian Richard Walscheid, known simply as Max, he is already used to standing out for his considerable size (199 cm for 92 kg): the German decides to take the deserved spotlight also by stating that he is already thinking about the post-retirement period, for a choice that is anything but banal but not unprecedented.  

Walscheid's statements

  In women's cycling there is no shortage of doctors: just think of Erica Magnaldi ed Elise Chabby. They will be joined Walscheid, who opened up about his future to the microphones of Wheeler. "Becoming a doctor has been my ambition since I finished school, while being a professional cyclist has never been my ambition, also because I don't come from a family of sportsmen and I didn't know anyone who made a living from sports. My parents and my older sister are doctors and so you could say that this is a bit of a family vocation". In the meantime, however, despite youthful thoughts, Walscheid He established himself in the professional world, which he entered in 2016 playing a leading role in sprints, as a protagonist or as a trailblazer, and in time trials: the fixed thought of medicine has always been present, however. "When I became a professional I had to interrupt my studies because it was becoming complicated to do everything. In 2020 I broke my hand and then the pandemic came. I was at home and I couldn't train and so I started studying again. At first I was scared, because after so many years I thought I had forgotten everything: instead it was the right choice". A choice that after his retirement will make the runner of Team Jayco AlUla a doctor despite his reticence to open up on the subject. "I never wanted to talk about it so as not to be seen as the 'future doctor': I wanted to be seen as Max Walscheid, a professional runner, a good runner. But getting to the Team Jayco AlUla changed things because they were very attentive and understanding and pushed me to talk about it". Finally, a comment on what could be the specialization. "At the moment I don't know. I could become a general practitioner and maybe stay in the world of cycling. It would be unprecedented, because I don't think any professional after retiring has ever become the team doctor. It could be interesting and the fact that I was in the group I think would give me even more credibility. I have a lot of respect for doctors in this sport, because it's true that usually the problems of the riders are always the same, but there is a minimum percentage in which they have to be good and quick to understand what is unexpectedly happening". The example of the German, in a sport in which not everyone has the income of champions like Tadej pogacar, It can also be a warning for those who are new to cycling. "I think that most professionals should benefit from having experience in other fields of work. Today many kids interface by losing contact with real life, without thinking about the future. Instead - he concludes Walscheid - knowing how to do something gives you credibility in the present and an extra opportunity for the future."

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