Can you become a fast runner without wrecking your cycling fitness?

Freddy Ovett's attempt to run a sub-2:30 marathon prompts CW to ask just how far cyclists can push their running without jeopardising their bike fitness

A pair of running shoes opposite a pair of cycling shoes
(Image credit: Future)

Whether it’s Tom Dumoulin running a 32.38 10km, Adam Yates clocking a sub-3hr marathon or even Tom Pidcock posting a fantastical 13.25 5k on Strava, the growing number of cyclists achieving fast running times makes you wonder if there’s an unofficial foot race going on in the pro peloton. Then again, the revelation that Primož Roglič enjoys a daily jog even during the Tour suggests it’s as much to do with ritual and enjoyment as it is performance. As a cyclist who also runs, I wanted to find out if the two disciplines are mutually beneficial. Can target-driven running also make us faster on our bikes – or at least not slow us down? 

A colleague tipped me off in September that the latest example of a pro cyclist taking to running could be the most spectacular yet: Freddy Ovett was targeting sub-2:30 at the Berlin Marathon. It captured my attention for two reasons. First, I figured that with the surname Ovett, a certain level of natural talent could be taken for granted. (If you’re too young to remember the early Eighties, all you need to know is that Freddy’s dad Steve was the best middle-distance runner in the world.) Second, I knew from personal experience exactly what it took to go sub-2:30 in Berlin: I’d set my PB there exactly 10 years ago. 

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

David Bradford
Features editor

David Bradford is features editor of Cycling Weekly (print edition). He has been writing and editing professionally for more than 15 years, and has published work in national newspapers and magazines including the Independent, the Guardian, the Times, the Irish Times, Vice.com and Runner’s World. Alongside his love of cycling, David is a long-distance runner with a marathon PB of two hours 28 minutes. Having been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in 2006, he also writes about sight loss and hosts the podcast Ways of Not Seeing.