Cyclingpost.com - Interview: Michael Rasmussen

Interview: Michael Rasmussen

By Kathrin Bomans
Sun, 4 Feb 2007 19:41:24

BÜTTGEN, Feb 4 (CP) - When being in Büttgen, Germany, to do aerodynamics tests in order to improve his time trial position, Michael Rasmussen, the polka-dot jersey winner of last year's Tour de France, gave Cyclingpost.com's Kathrin Bomans an exclusive interview.

The quiet, intelligent and thoughtful Dane spoke about the ups and downs of last season, his objectives for 2007 and the difficult situation that cyclists find themselves in, being confronted with the current state of cycling.

How are things with your fracture?

It is going well. On the bike, I’m not having any problems at all. We have just come back from a training camp in Spain, and my test result showed exactly the same numbers as this time last year, so there are no reasons for concern. I’m not yet walking as I did before, though. In Spain, we had the team's physiotherapist and he was working on me every day and he is going to be with me for twelve days in California also, so hopefully I come back running from California.

If you look back at the last season, what is your evaluation?

Obviously, it was a season with a few ups and downs. One of my biggest disappointments last year was that I did not win on L'Alpe d'Huez because I thought I had the legs to do that, and I was in shape to do that. But things did not come out the way that I wanted to. And then obviously the highlight was the day after in the stage to La Toussuire. And well, you brought up the broken leg yourself. It was not exactly a highlight of the season. It was a very tough period, and I had a few days when I thought that my cycling career was in doubt, because the first feedback I got from the doctors in Bologna were not very positive and very optimistic. But I'm glad I proved them wrong.

What plans do you have for this season?

The goal is the same as it has been in the previous years: the Tour de France. And nothing before that. Afterwards, I will try to concentrate on the World Championships and the classics in Zurich and Lombardy.

Will you go for the polka-dot jersey again in the Tour?

We will see how things will be happening. Last year, I did not go for the jersey until in the very last week because I had other obligations to the team. This year, it is a different Tour because we have the Alps coming up very early. So we will very early in the race have a much clearer picture of who is the main favorite for the yellow jersey. And after that, it is easier to define the role.

Might you also go for the general classification?

We have to go through the Alps before we hit the first time trial so everything is possible. There are only eight kilometers of time trialing in almost the first two weeks of the race. And who knows? Maybe I come in really strong, and there is also a possibility that I will be high up in the classification. But I won't make any decisions now or even before the Tour starts but just take it day by day. The important thing is to be 110 percent ready on the start line and then see what is possible during the three weeks. I saw this year that it is still possible to turn everything around in maybe the last two or three days in the Pyrenees. So there is no reason to go in with one fixed objective when everything is still possible until very late into the race.

Do you like the route of this year?

Yes, I like it. I like it a lot better than last year. Obviously, there are much more mountains and stages that oblige to me. And the action comes up early, which is good because usually the race is a lot less nervous when the classification is sort of fixed. So that is all in my favor. There are less stages before where I have to sit in the back and just avoid crashes.

How will you prepare for the Tour?

I will go to the Tour of California now in three weeks time. After that the Tour de Pays Basque and the Giro d’Italia.

Will you ride the Giro as a preparation for the Tour only?

Yes. When I look back in the history books, I always have a hard time to get in really good shape early on in the season because I depend a lot on the weather. That is why I usually ride the fastest in July and August. But it is always beneficial if I can finish the Giro and come out of the Giro in a good condition. Last year, I had a back problem, so I was forced to retire already halfway through the race. So I went and did the Tour of Switzerland. This year, I would like to finish the Giro. The last time trial passes in front of my house also, so that is another motif to go all the way. But the Tour is so much more important than the Giro, so there are no doubts in what is going to be the objective.

Will you do recon rides of the Tour stages?

Yes, there are some new, interesting stage finishes this year, and obviously I need to take a closer look at them.

What are the benefits of knowing the mountains before riding them in a race?

First of all, it is a matter of safety that you actually know the descents. But also psychologically, you know that you can do this because you have then done it once before. And in my case, it happens sometimes that I'm alone in the race. So if I have done it alone in the training ride, I know that I can do it also by myself in the race. It is always a benefit to know what is coming up in the big mountain stages. Mentally, you know what is to come, and it always makes it easier when you do things a second time. It is like riding the bike, the first time it seems difficult but the second time you can do it, even if it is ten years after it.

The World Championships are one of your targets as well this year?

Yes, from what I have been told, I think it is a fairly hard circuit in Stuttgart. And I would like to do well there also. But we will see. First things first. The Tour is my main target, and what happens then is something that I will decide in August. But the primary goal for autumn is the Worlds and the two Classics.

Cycling is a lot in disarray with the conflict surrounding the Pro Tour and the Spanish doping scandal. What is your personal view on these issues?

It is a very, very difficult time for cycling in general and it is a difficult time to be a cyclist. No matter what you do, people will look at you with suspicion. Even when you start shaving your legs people think: Oh, he is probably doing something naughty [laughs]. So it is not very nice. And on top of that, there are so many structural problems, which are very frustrating for us riders to look at and see that our common body, the UCI, can't agree with the main race organizers in the world. The teams do not know if they are bought or sold. And that might keep potential sponsors away. Who wants to invest ten million Euros in a sport if they do not know whether they will go to the Tour de France? That is a major problem. But obviously, there are huge financial interests involved, which are not really in our hands.

How do riders react, do they talk about it?

Of course we talk about it because it involves many of our colleagues, and we are confronted with it all the time from friends and families and journalists. We have to have a certain point of view on things. But at the end of the day, we are all just cyclists trying to feed our families and wanting to make the best out of our years in our cycling career. It is hard to be involved. I would love to be involved in all sorts of organizational matters and try to solve the problems but it is just too time-consuming. I already have a job where I travel around the world for 150 days a year, and then you want to enjoy the time when you can actually stay at home with your family instead of being involved. It is a tough call, but I think most of the cyclists just try to do their job and leave the rest up to somebody else who has more time on hand.

What about the riders on the Fuentes list. Would you personally have a problem with being in races with them?

No, as long as riders have not been officially judged. Maybe the public has already judged them for sure. But the jurisdictional system in the world of sport has to work the same way as it does in civil life. That is one of the main problems, there are two different jurisdictional systems that are working on the case. The civil court in Spain won't release documents for the sports court. But for me, it is not a problem. I will race against Hamilton again, I raced against riders from Festina. People have done their time and they made a mistake in their past but at the same time, when you have been sidelined for two years you also deserve a second chance. So I do not have a problem competing against those riders. It would be jurisdictional murder when you suspend riders and put them on the sideline for years without having any proof. You have to give them the benefit of the doubt. But I certainly agree that it is a very, very, difficult case, very frustrating.