Markus Fothen (Photo: capture-the-peleton.com)

GEROLSTEIN, 28 Jan (CP) - Markus Fothen is touted by many as the biggest stage riding talent that German cycling has to offer. During Team Gerolsteiner's recent presentation, Fothen spoke with Cyclingpost.com's Kathrin Bomans about his plans and ambitions for the 2007 season.

In 2005, his second year as a pro, the 25-year-old placed 12th in the Giro d'Italia, in 2006 he finished the Tour de France in 15th position, losing the white jersey to Italy's Damiano Cunego only in the penultimate stage.

Are you content with your last season?

Yes, I'm completely satisfied with it. I wanted to go into the Tour to see what kind of rider I am, and I know that now. This is a great feeling. Now I know that I will concentrate on the grand tours for the next years.

What was the highest high and the lowest low?

The highest high was the entire July. The Tour was like a dream for me, from beginning to end. It was really like a fairy tale how it turned out and how I felt about. The lowest low was definitely that it did not work out with the white jersey. Until then, I had managed to reach all my goals in cycling, but not this time. I have to accept it when Damiano Cunego, who is a climber, drops me on a mountain or in a mountain top finish. And that is okay. But it was bitter that it happened in a time trial.

What does your schedule look like for this season?

There won't be many changes. The Tour takes priority over everything. Instead of the Tour de Suisse, I will do the Dauphiné Libéré. After the Tour, I will again ride the Vuelta. But it is doubtful that I will finish it, because I definitely want to do well in the World Championships.

What does your preparation for the Tour look like?

I will start in March and do the Clasica de Almeria and the Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia. Then, there will be the Setmana Catalana, another Spanish stage race. Then I will do the Circuit de la Sarthe in April, and I will do an altitude training camp afterwards. I will come back to do La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Afterwards, I will participate in the Tour de Romandie, and then I will recon the Tour stages in the Pyrenees with some team mates. We will ride and study them. Afterwards, I will ride the Dauphiné Libéré. Sometime in between there will be the German championships and the Tour of Bavaria [Bayern-Rundfahrt]. And then it is time for the Tour.

How important is the Tour training camp for you?

I did not do it in 2006, but I do not consider that as a big disadvantage really. This time, I want to see what it is like if I ride the stages in advance. It is not a bad idea to know the mountains. You know then where you have to be careful and what the terrain is like. I think it will be an advantage.

How would you evaluate your own strength and weaknesses?

My biggest strength is my determination and my ambition to work towards the peak of the season. I can also listen to what my body is telling me. Short, steep mountains are my biggest weakness. At the moment, they still cause trouble.

How about the long climbs?

They work better for me. They are okay.

In what kind of areas do you want to improve?

The explosiveness when climbing. In the last two years, I have noticed in the grand tours that I still have a problem with that. But as I have recognized this weakness now, I will work at it consistently. I won't neglect my strength, but I will improve on my weakness. If you are too light, you will lose the power for time trialing. Over the years, you have to find an equilibrium, which reconciles both disciplines. In my preparation for the Tour, I will concentrate on interval training in the mountains. I want to train speed variations in order to be able to counter attacks in the mountains. I can do that once or twice. But the real mountain goats, who just weigh 55 kilos, are a lot more explosive, and they can do it four or five times. And then it becomes a problem. I simply have a different physique. But I think there is still room for improvement by way of interval training.

You have ridden in both the Tour and the Giro. How would you compare the two races?

Every race is hard. In both races, I have to go to my limit to keep the pace. Someday maybe, I won't have to go to my limit to get over each mountain but just in the finale. Then I can say that the Giro is a bit easier because only half of the best riders are there. Also, at the Tour, the stress is bigger because of the media interest. At the moment, I have to go to my limit in either race, so it is the same for me.

Which of the two races do you like more?

As far as the food is concerned, I prefer going to Italy. But the Tour is the biggest bike race. You want to be there. That is its appeal.

Cycling is in a difficult situation at the moment with the conflict about the ProTour and the Spanish doping scandal. Is that on your mind a lot?

Not really. When I have done my job, I want a rest from it. Sure, you think about it, but it all has assumed a dimension where I say: there is no use in it, I concentrate just on myself, my girlfriend, my daughter and the construction of my house. All that fills up my time. I can't ponder the ProTour and stuff like that. I can't decide anything anyway. I have to deal with the situation as it is. If I can decide something, I also think about it. But if I have to accept something, well, I have to accept it.

Would you have a problem with riders from the Fuentes list being in races with you?

No. If they are entitled to be at the start, if that was decided by those responsible, I will deal with it. You have to rid yourself of the thought: that guy next to me might have taken something. If I thought that it would be like an excuse. And maybe it is not even true. My ambition is to beat the riders in the races that I target. Of course, it would make you angry if later on it came to light that you had been duped. You train hard, you give everything, you make a lot of sacrifices and then you are duped. Nobody likes to be duped.

How would you describe the fascination of cycling?

You set yourself a goal, you work toward it, and then it works out. It is that feeling. You have done everything possible, you have good equipment, your preparation has been good. And then suddenly it works. It is also about reaching another level. You have been at 80 percent all the time and then you reach 100 percent at exactly the right time. You look into the faces of the other riders and you see they are not doing so well while you are still feeling strong. That drives me on.

© Kathrin Bomans