One of the medal-contenders at the upcoming UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Hong Kong will be Swiss rider Gaël Suter.
Top of the UCI Ranking in the Omnium, the 25-year-old from Villeneuve eats, breathes and sleeps cycling. To the extent that the office where he works part-time “to keep a balance in my life and a foot in the professional working world,” is just upstairs from one of his training grounds: the UCI World Cycling Centre’s (WCC) velodrome.
Twice a week, this talented young Olympian and European Championships silver medallist arrives at the UCI WCC in Aigle without his bike. He by-passes the cycling track and changing rooms and heads upstairs to his desk in the Sports Department of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).
Suter began working for the UCI in 2010, well before he began making his mark on the international track cycling scene. But even then, at 18 years of age, he was a promising rider and knew he wanted to work in a cycling environment. After completing a two-year apprenticeship as an office administration assistant, he worked half-time for two years, and is now in his third year working at 20% to accommodate his 15 to 20 hours of weekly training.
“It is great for me working at the UCI,” says Suter. “The Management has been flexible about my working hours but I try to be as regular and available as possible. It is good for me to come into work where I talk and think about other things than my training and competitions.”
One could be forgiven for thinking that his job is akin to a busman’s holiday… but in fact his work has nothing to do with track cycling. Suter is part of the off-road sector at the UCI, where he works essentially on the UCI International Calendar for cyclo-cross, a discipline far-removed from his own speciality. It’s the perfect contrast according to the athlete.
2016 was a stand-out year for Suter, who achieved his childhood dream of competing at the Olympic Games. Although his main aim was to qualify for Rio 2016, his commendable 12th place at the Olympic velodrome has left him hungry for more.
“I knew I wasn’t going to be fighting for the top spots, especially against UCI WorldTour riders like (Mark) Cavendish and (Elia) Viviani, but an Olympic Diploma (top 8) would have been magic.
“The Olympics is an unforgettable experience in the life of any athlete. I had so much fun in Rio. I was at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and I spent one-and-a-half weeks in the Olympic Village. I rode well, but now I have had a taste of the Olympics, I want to perform better and get a result."
"I will not leave any stone unturned going into Tokyo 2020.”
Suter is happy with the new one-day format for the Omnium. The training is less specific as there are no longer any standing starts, his ability to read races well is a big advantage for the endurance races, and there is no longer the need to cope with stress and recovery issues between two race days.
Together with his coach Mickael Bouget, he will now fix some of the details that can make all the difference. He will also work on his mindset, which nearly let him down at the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in London, the last Rio 2016 qualification event. After a season hampered by misfortune – not least a major serious crash – he arrived in London in March last year to vie for one of the final Olympic spots for the Omnium open to European riders. After being beaten by his two closest rivals in the individual pursuit on the first day, Suter admits he coped very badly: "I totally lost it. I was finshed. I didn't sleep all night. I races really badly but luckily on the second day I did just enough to qualify."
Suter went on to live the Rio experience to the full and on his return, making the most of his post-Olympic form, claimed gold in the Scratch race and silver in the Omnium at the European Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France) in October. After a three-week break, he was back on the track for the Swiss Championships (second) at the end of January and the final two rounds of the 2016-2017 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Cali (Colombia) and Los Angeles (United States) in February.
Although his aim is “to enjoy” this season, the Swiss athlete nevertheless has high hopes for the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Hong Kong (April 12-16): “It’s going to be tight but I will be looking for a medal.”
Whatever happens, after the Worlds he will be back at the UCI office amongst his colleagues, who are among his most ardent supporters. At his desk above the velodrome he will put aside, albeit for a short time, thoughts of training and racing, and immerse himself in the world of cyclo-cross.