Written by 08:19 Pro Cycling Story

The Coffee Shop: Louis Meintjes interviewed by Willie Smit

Louis Meintjes

Katusha Alpecin’s Willie Smit is a regular vlogger. In this special episode, he joins Louis Meintjes on a training ride and coffee stop. Enjoy the transcript with the video posted below.

Willie Smit: What’s your off-season racing weight compared to in-season racing weight?

Louis Meintjes: Off-season weight and in-season weight can be anything between 62kg’s to 56.

WS: What do you think about disc brakes?

LM: I think it’s good and bad. In wet weather it’s definitely an improvement. Some brands might be a little better than others but I think there is still room for improvement.  

WS: Probably in about two or three years time all the bikes will be about 6.8kg’s [with disc brakes].

LM: I think disc brakes are probably going to be the future but at the moment there’s still room for improvement.

WS: Your best achievement?

LM: The Olympics is a really special result. [He was 7th in the road race in Rio]

WS: And the Tour de France? 2016 went quite well. You got close to the white jersey.

LM: Yeah I was second in the white jersey competition and eighth overall. So I’ve been second in the white jersey twice and eighth overall twice in the Tour. I got the exact same result two years in a row.

WS: What is the biggest thing, except money, that keeps you motivated to train hard.

LM: I have to do something with my life haha. You have to have a goal or something to strive for otherwise life would be pretty boring.

WS: Your opinion on diet?

LM: There’s so many different opinions and the science is almost contradicting. One thing is proven and a few months later something completely the opposite is proven. I don’t think there is one thing that is specifically good or bad. Whatever works and you feel comfortable with and whatever you like, except eating too much haha. Everything is moderation.  

WS: Ketones?

LM: It’s almost like an unknown thing. If you think everyone else is using something that makes them unbeatable, it’s like they have a mental advantage over you. There is some science, some that shows it does work and there are others that show it doesn’t. If it was really making such a difference, you would see the 50% of guys that use it winning every single thing and the other go completely nowhere. Maybe it can help you if you use it in the correct way.   

Louis Meintjes
Meintjes missed the Tour de France as a wrist fracture didn’t heal in time. Photo: Willie Smit

WS: Best diet tip to recreational cyclists?

LM: Eat less, train more.

WS: Preferred off-season meal and drink?

LM: A good pizza and beer.

WS: What would be your favourite meal that you allow to treat yourself with?

LM: At the Tour de France you can get away with quite a lot because you’re racing so much. You can pretty much eat anything.

WS: You are South African, you’re living in Andorra now, why did you choose Andorra because before you lived in Lucca.

LM: I really like it here. The main reason was to get a permit to actually stay in Europe.

WS: How difficult is the winter?

LM: You kind of get used to it. You get extra clothing. The weather reports sometimes look worst than it feels outisde. I’ve been here in February doing 90% of my training outdoors. Normally it doesn’t go far below zero.  

WS: But it stays zero. It’s not like South Africa where it’s -2 in the mornings then it goes up to 25 in the day.

LM: Yeah, you wait for the best part of the day then finish the day with maybe 2 or 3 degree average.

WS: Off-season hobbies?

LM: Doing as little as possible.

WS: Who is your pick to win the Tour de France?

LM: Team Sky [Ineos] has probably got the strongest team. They will find a way for one of their leaders.

WS: Best 20/40 minute power you’ve done in the third week of the Tour.

LM: It doesn’t change so much. Some of my best power I’ve done in the last week of the Tour so I don’t think it drops. It’s like 6.3 – 6.4w/kg.

WS: Are you a believer in altitude training?

LM: It really works for me. There are some guys who think it helps and others who think it doesn’t but it works for me.

WS: Biggest challenge of being a World Tour rider?

LM: How long the season is.

WS: Yeah because you already start training hard in November.

LM: Yeah you’re always just getting ready for the next race then the next and the next…it always feels like there’s not enough time in between to prepare for whatever is coming.

WS: If you weren’t a cyclist, what would you be?

LM: Probably gone to university and got a normal job.

WS: Hardest climb in Andorra?

LM: Arcalís is a really nice climb to go up and see the view.

Louis Meintjes
Andorra has become his home, a place he now loves. Photo: Willie Smit

WS: Has cycling changed the way you see the world?

LM: It probably has just because it’s given me so many opportunities to see so many different cultures. You see how different people grew up and how they live. It’s something you have to get used to, especially as a pro cyclist. You learn how to tolerate different things because you realise you must be annoying your teammates as well. You can all work together nicely if everyone is a little bit lenient and understands the other person reacts and thinks differently.  

WS: The craziest guy in your team?

LM: Probably Reinardt [Janse van Rensburg]. He is quite funny.

WS: Favourite snack on the bus?

LM: Our bus doesn’t actually have so much. They normally hide them until we get to the race.

WS: You broke your wrist in California after already having a setback before that [crashing out of Paris Nice]. What would you say is a better thing to break, your collarbone or your wrist?

LM: I’ve broken my collarbone before but it was a quick recovery so my [wrist] has been quite frustrating having to wait so long before I can get back to racing.

WS: What’s the hardest part of not being able to use your hand.

LM: Opening a bottle. I can’t hold both ends. I have to put it down on the floor and hold it with my feet then turn with my good hand.

WS: How close is your current car to having the car of your dreams?

LM: I’m not really a car guy so this is it. It has aircon and gets me from A to B.

WS: What car do you have?

LM: I have a Mini Countryman.

WS: How many coffee’s a day?

LM: Not more than 5.

WS: Wine or beer?

LM: Beer.

WS: Rice cakes or gels?

LM: Rice cakes for the taste but in the races I use more gels.

WS: Hardest stage of your life?

LM: When I stopped my first Tour de France. I got sick and still managed to finish but I couldn’t start the next day. I was doing most of the stage, riding by myself with just the ambulance behind me.

2015 Tour de France was one of the hardest for him as illness forces him to abandon the race. Photo: Gruber Images

WS: Climbing helmet or aero helmet?

LM: I use the aero helmet quite a lot.

WS: Racing suit or bib shorts and jersey separately?

LM: I prefer bib shorts and jersey.

WS: Your opinion on sock height?

LM: Just normal.

WS: Favourite month of the year?

LM: December. Everyone’s on holiday.

WS: But all World Tour riders still train a lot during December but it’s that holiday vibe, no pressure yet. What’s the longest you’ve been stranded when your bike broke?

LM: 2 hours. I ran out of tubes and had no one to pick me up. Luckily I wasn’t far from a bike shop but they were on their siesta so I had to sit there and wait until they reopened.

WS: Biggest amateur mistake?

LM: Taking the wrong turn in a South Africa race haha.

WS: Did you continue riding or did you know you took a wrong turn?

LM: I didn’t realise until later.

WS: Where to retire?

LM: I’ve been thinking about that a lot. For a real long time I was sure I would return to South Africa but I am getting used to life here as well so maybe Andorra is a possibility.

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Tags: , , , Last modified: Jan 19, 2020
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