At WorldTour level, performance is built on a system—training, recovery, nutrition, sleep, mental focus, and medical oversight—working together across an intense season.
In an interview with Unbroken, Dr. Jens Hinder (Head Doctor at Lidl–Trek) explains how the sport has changed: riders must be ready earlier than ever. “In the past, early-season races could be used for training… This is not possible anymore.” And because no one can hold peak form year-round – “It’s not possible to perform the whole year on your best level” – the priority is staying healthy and sustainable through peaks and valleys.
Dr. Hinder is clear about what comes first: “The basic is training… then all the other things come on top.” Recovery and nutrition are there to protect the training process, especially when muscles are under relentless load. As he puts it, when riders “work so hard with the muscles you use in cycling,” having “a small part to give something back to this heavy muscle load” is “something worth to do.”
That’s where Unbroken fits into Lidl–Trek’s recovery approach. Dr. Hinder values the natural origin: “It’s coming from a natural protein” and the practical role of amino acids: “Amino acids are one of these important things we have to use… This was working. It was an easy solution.” He also emphasizes consistency over “perfect timing”: “It doesn’t matter if you take it before, in between, or after – you just need these products…”
Read the full interview with Dr. Jens Hinder on Unbroken’s website.
