Leonardo Torcat shared his life behind handlebars: “I learned to suffer on the bike”

BMX and Roadie champion, Leonardo Torcat is a well known Miami cyclist who won Florida State Road race in 2022 currently, the Florida State Pro Champion.

Focus Cycling Club founder and head coach, Torcat has empowered cyclists to compete and win races in Florida for the last years.

With several BMX and Road racing titles, along with Florida State Champion, Leonardo is the winner of Miami PRIX Crits series of May/2022 and considered one of the fastest riders in Florida.

How is your life behind the handlebars racing?

LT: I started at the age of 15 in BMX. I was able to become a National Champion in my country of Venezuela and represent it in 3 World Championships (USA, Australia, and Holland). Later, I moved on to MTB XC. I learned to suffer on the bike, which led me to become a road cyclist and travel all over Venezuela for classic races!

How was winning Florida State race title?

LT: The Florida Road Race this year was a success for me thanks to my teammate who gave me his spot in the winning breakaway! There were very strong rivals, but I trusted my final sprint, so I made no mistakes and waited until the last 400 meters! I accelerated from 25 mph to 43 mph in 20 seconds, leaving the 6 rivals with no options.

What bikes are you riding today, group-set and sizes, your preferred PSI on your tires? Disk or rim brakes?

LT: I am currently riding a Limit Edition: Specialized VENGE “Disc Brake”, my group-set is Sram Red AXS / 52 T / Wheels Princeton Peak 45 with C-Bear Ceramic Bearing and Continental GP 5000 TL tires.

I keep my tires at 75 Psi on race mode.

Talking about nutrition and hydration. What is your regimen as a Pro cyclist? What do you take/drink/eat before, during and after races and long distance rides?

LT: Nutrition and hydration are extremely important and should be well balanced and varied depending on the goal. I never miss my pre-workout mixed cereal with almond milk. When I arrive, I have a well-rounded breakfast, lunch is usually pasta almost every day and dinner is a soup or vegetable cream. I only use electrolytes for training or races of more than 3 hours. I use gels for high-intensity training.

How do you keep up with Fitness while racing on bikes, coaching and training all together?

LT: Cycling can work many more muscles than you imagine. I only dedicate a few hours in December to the gym. But the gym I like the most is the Don Pan Ride in Key Biscayne.

What motivates you to ride your bike literally everyday?

LT: I liked cycling for the sensation of freedom and travel! But now it’s different, I continue because I am a personal coach for my club Focus Cycling and my racing team MIAMI FALCONS. This keeps me active in races, what I have learned over the years, I teach, apply and motivate my students, results come for both of us!

P.D: Now! Racing The Winter Series Corratec! I am located 3rd in the General table and prepared to move up positions having 2 Stages to go (Sunday 22 January and last its Sunday February 12).

FOCUS AND GO!

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