Jason Osborne's successful transition from rowing to cycling

There was no rest for the German lightweight rower Jason Osborne after winning a silver medal in Tokyo at the Olympic Games. Osborne has been planning a transition to the sport of cycling for several years and was committed to start racing just a few weeks after his Olympic final. After a quick celebration, Osborne flew back to Germany and went straight into training, which was tough.

“That was kind of difficult period,” he says. “After the Olympics, all the stress kind of falls away. It’s the best time to take a holiday, reflect and calm down. But I had to stay on it and keep training. It was mentally a bit hard, but as I got into the racing, I enjoyed it. It was a completely new experience for me, so it was exciting.”

Osborne first started cycling in 2012, when a coach encouraged him to use it as cross-training for rowing. From that point he has been passionate about cycling, but it wasn’t until he won the UCI Esports World Championships on the Zwift platform in December 2020 that things really started to take off.

“The Zwift World Championships were a kickstarter,” he says. “I really got launched into the world of cycling and with that came some sponsorships.”

It also eventually led to him being signed by one of the best cycling teams in the world Deceuninck-QuickStep – teaming up with two-time World Champion Julian Alaphilippe of France. Osborne calls the team ‘extremely professional’ and says he is learning a lot.

“In the first races, I messed some things up and luckily my teammates were really nice, and they advised me and gave me some tips. There’s a lot to learn, but it’s definitely a teamwork sport,” he says.

Besides the tactical skills, the transition for Jason Osborne has gone relatively smoothly. Cycling and rowing require a similar amount of training, which suits Jason Osborne. But there are some physiological differences.

For example, cycling is more endurance training, while in rowing includes a power component. And while rowers develop strong upper bodies, cyclists tend to be lighter in the upper body, with the majority of their muscle in their legs. Osborne says there are logistical differences as well.

“In rowing, you can count the number of races on one hand. But in cycling, you have so many races – and they are longer. You are traveling a lot, so it’s also important to live close to an airport,” he says.

And Osborne adds that the teamwork in cycling is different than that in rowing.

“In rowing, you cross the line together, it is more individual. But in cycling, you might do a lot of work so that your teammate can cross the line first. It’s really about being part of the team,” he says.

So, what’s the future for this young talent?

“I need time to develop, and the team needs to also have time to see where my strengths are, what kind of races fit me. It’s something that has to be seen over a whole season at least, so they get a good feel for it. I just want to take my time and see if I can get a good result here and there. The learning curve will continue,” he explains.

And while he says he doesn’t miss rowing yet; he also hasn’t ruled out an eventual return to the sport.

“Somehow, if I don’t find road racing exciting anymore, I definitely would consider coming back to rowing. There is still an Olympic medal to be achieved, so I can’t count out that I am completely done with rowing.”

Just in case, Osborne still hops in a boat occasionally, to be sure he does not lose touch with his on-water origin.