TRAVELING in the South of France in recent weeks, João Correia, a former Manhattan publishing executive who shed 60 pounds in recent years, found temptation everywhere: oven-fresh baguettes dabbed in oozy Camembert, sugary tartes Tatin. A morning pain au chocolat, washed down with a rich café au lait? Off limits.

“Oatmeal and black coffee is the ticket,” he said. Even in France. Talk about willpower.

But Mr. Correia, with his wiry 145-pound physique, is not a walking testimonial for the latest fad diet. Rather, he arrived in Europe this month as a new member of Cervélo TestTeam, one of 25 men on a top professional European cycling team.

A former professional cyclist who last raced at age 21, he left the sport for a desk job and, over a decade, ballooned toward the weight of two professional cyclists. Now, at 34, he is back, at an age when many riders are ready to retire. He hopes to compete in the Giro d’Italia or the Tour de France in coming years.

As an athletic achievement, it is remarkable, said John Eustice, a TV cycling commentator, tour promoter and former professional rider. “It’s like a high school football star quitting the game, going into business and all of a sudden finding himself back in the N.F.L. in his 30s,” he said.