Chasing Shadows

How close could an amateur really get to pro-level performance? That question lit a spark in Gustav Thuesen’s mind, setting him on a journey to find out. That thought sparked in Gustav Thuesen’s mind after setting a surprisingly fast time of 1:05:36 on his local 22 km trail loop just outside of Copenhagen. The trail in Hareskoven has been ridden by some of the top XC riders in the world which makes it easy to gauge your own performance against theirs. And Gustav found out he was within 10 minutes of the top spot held by Simon Andreassen and his time of 56:09. A big gap, sure—but not beyond reach for someone who hadn’t even scratched the surface of structured training.

As a recreational cyclist Gustav had never followed a truly structured training plan, done any strength training, refined his XC technique or optimised his equipment. There were a lot of low hanging performance optimising fruits that could get him closer to achieving “pro performance”. However, he was enough of a realist to know that it would be unrealistic for him to beat a world cup rider but if he could get under the one hour mark he would be impressed by his own performance. However, that would still require him to shave off at least 05:36 - meaning he would need to become around 10% faster.

The moment he signed up for his first-ever gym membership and invested in a power meter, Gustav made a commitment—no more guessing, no more winging it. His goal was simple: push as close to pro-level performance as an amateur could. He tapped into AI-powered training plans through a friend’s connection. Not exactly the old-school approach, but it was structured, and that was what mattered.

Twice-a-week gym sessions, interval rides, recovery rides, long rides—repeat. Week by week, he saw improvements in his fitness. Faster rides, more watts. But what about the equipment?

After some research it was clear that a full suspension XC bike would be faster than his current hardtail. In fact almost the entire World Cup peloton is on full suspension bikes. And after his first ride on the new Scalpel he cut off a minute from his previous time. He swapped a few parts to make it perfectly suited for the trail in Hareskoven. Combined with some tuning by CeramicSpeed he was confident that his components would not hold him back.

But speed means nothing without control. Gustav turned his focus to refining his technique. Keeping momentum through corners, optimizing line choices, and mastering pacing strategies became his obsession. Hammer on the climbs, recover on the descents, stay steady on the flats.

Just as he felt ready to attempt the sub-hour mark, life showed up. Renovating a new apartment, getting married, and travel—real-life commitments that pulled him away from training. Six weeks off the bike left him 10% slower, erasing the progress he’d made. Summer was ending, and soon the forest trail would turn into a muddy slog. Panic training ensued.

Hill sprints. Intervals. Gym sessions. Recovery. Desperately searching for every marginal gain, Gustav learned that aerodynamic drag was a key factor at speeds over 18 km/h. Determined to leave nothing on the table, he donned road aero gear—helmet, base layer, socks. Every detail mattered. Finally, the moment of truth arrived. Gustav knew he would have to dig deeper than he ever had before Time to put his hard work to the test.

He clipped in, pressed the lap button, and took off. From the start, he pushed hard—too hard. By the 20-minute mark, he realized he had to ease off to avoid blowing up. Trusting his pacing strategy, he focused on riding smart. Every corner was taken at the limit, with a few near crashes keeping his adrenaline pumping.

As he entered the final technical section, he glanced at his time. Sub-hour was within reach. But one mistake could ruin everything. Twisting through trees, dancing over roots, he squeezed out every last ounce of effort. Completely spent, he hit the brakes and stopped the clock.

58:10.

He did it. Under an hour. Within two minutes of a World Cup rider. Exhausted and elated, Gustav sat in the grass, reflecting on his journey.

His experiment showed that an amateur can make significant gains by taking a more professional approach. But it also showed that the gap to the pros is vast—and life will always get in the way. For amateurs, balancing passion with reality is part of the game. The key is to give it your all, with whatever time you have.

And that’s more than enough.