The retired pro from Langley, B.C., shares his wisdom that comes out of years of racing and exploring, and talks about an old fear and current projects
You’re probably familiar with Svein Tuft’s legendary tales, such as the time he used a broken hockey stick to chase away a wolf that was menacing him and his dog, or how he had a hairy mountaineering descent in the rain. But what used to freak him out? Well, it’s not wolves or slippery heights.
Tuft retired from professional road cycling at the end of 2019. In November 2020, the Langley B.C., native moved back to his hometown with his family after living in Andorra for eight years. In this discussion, he gets into all the reasons and challenges of that move. He speaks about what he likes about being back in B.C. and what he misses about the small European country.
Things have been pretty busy for Tuft in his retirement. Near the beginning of April, he featured in a short video. He has a new podcast with his recently retired teammate Ryan Anderson. Their pod is called Back on the Bus. In March, Tuft and his wife Justine welcomed their second child, Heidi, who is the little sister to their son Gunnar. Tuft talks about the tricky business of balancing his drive and passion of exploring on his bike with the importance of being home and raising children. He also discusses why a job as a sport director with his old WorldTour team wasn’t for him. He has ideas about what can make older riders with day jobs faster. And he tells a bit about a forthcoming book. The discussion covers a lot of ground. Tuft has a lot of wisdom to share.