Finding Freedom: A Journey from a young enthusiast to World-Class Pro with Simon Andreassen

“I think I’m a podcast virgin,” Simon Andreassen laughs as we kick off the conversation. It’s a surprising admission from a rider who has been a fixture at the pinnacle of mountain biking for over a decade. Currently racing for Orbea after successful stints with Specialized and Cannondale, Simon is a veteran who recently discovered he was the oldest rider in the world’s top 10 rankings—a fact that, he tells Fredrik Ericsson and Erik Åkesson, made him feel “really old” .

But before the professional contracts and the world rankings, there was just a kid in Denmark who loved playing in the woods.

The Call of the Woods

Simon’s journey began over 20 years ago, influenced by a family of cycling enthusiasts. While he explored road racing, track, and cyclocross, it was the mountain bike that captured his heart.

“What I really liked was being out in the woods and just playing on my bike,” he recalls. When Fredrik asks if the forest itself was the main draw, Simon confirms it was the “feeling of freedom” and the ability to feel “completely lost... alone in the world” without being surrounded by cars and people .

The Weight of Early Success

Erik points out a staggering statistic from Simon’s youth: he was the first to win two consecutive Junior World Championships. To put that talent into perspective, Erik notes that in one of those years, the runner-up was future Tour de France winner Egan Bernal .

Despite this early dominance, Simon faced constant pressure in Denmark to switch to road cycling—a “natural progression” expected of any talented rider . “I still get asked today... I don’t even own a road bike,” he says. He stayed true to mountain biking because he never found the same joy on the road .

The 5% That Controls the 95%

As he has matured, Simon’s philosophy has shifted from following rigid, prescriptive plans to a more holistic, mental-first approach. Fredrik brings up an interesting perspective: that performance is 95% physical and 5% mental, but those 5% control the other 95%. Simon agrees completely: “You can’t access the 95% if [the 5%] is not working” .

• Mind over Miles: “If I’m not balanced right in the head, then it doesn’t matter what training I’m doing,” Simon explains.

• The Total Load: Working with coaches like Barry Austin and (previously) Phil Dixon, he focuses on the “total load,” which includes balancing emotional stress alongside physical stress .

• Adaptive Planning: While a 20-year-old Simon wanted a fixed plan, he now tells Erik that experience has taught him the importance of being open to change . “You can’t predict everything... it’s very important to be open to change the plan according to what comes up”.

Weathering the Storm

Professional sports aren’t all podiums. Simon has faced significant “ruts,” including a serious concussion last year that left him struggling for consistency. During that time, he found a strict training plan actually made things worse; he had to learn to “go by feel” and “literally go day by day” .

He also shared a hard truth about the industry: “People always want to help a winner... But that’s never the time when you need support” . It’s in the hard times, he says, that you truly see who is behind you.

Recovery and the “Universal Medicine”

When Fredrik asks about the perfect 48-hour recovery window after a major race, Simon’s routine is simple. He often goes for a ride the very next day to “process everything” and “decompress” .

When he isn’t on the bike, he heads back to nature—whether it’s a swim in a mountain lake in his current home of Andorra or simply doing “absolutely nothing” at home . As Fredrik puts it: “Nature is the universal medicine for everything”.

Key Takeaways from the Conversation:

• Passion Over Expectation: Stay true to what you enjoy, even if others expect a different “natural progression” .

• The Power of Role Models: Fredrik and Simon discuss how seeing riders like Henrik Djernis or having a strong national team structure creates the “depth” needed for a nation to succeed .

• Experience as an Asset: Use your history to eliminate past mistakes and make better choices, rather than just training harder .

• Beyond the Numbers: Simon warns against being too fixated on power meters, noting that “some performance can’t be measured in numbers” and the real test is how fast you get to the “tree” or the “house” on your local climb