News 2005

News 2005/05

21. December, Training in San Nicolo, the residence of my team LPR
The weather here is mostly sunny but cool with temperatures of 5 - 10 C. Most important, there is no snow on the roads, so I can train and do the first few kilometers on my new Guerciotti Carbonbike. I like it very much and got used to the new position on the bike. There are 4 riders of my team wich live nearby. We also meet a few more guys from other teams, so we can train together in a nice little group. My problem at the moment is not getting tired from training, but trying to concentrate and pick up a few words in italian;)
I wish everybody merry Christmas and a happy new Year!
5.- 7. December, Team Meeting in Riccione
The season 2006 has started already! I hope that all you readers of the news had a good time and didn't forget my website.
All the members of my new team LPR have met for the first time in Riccione. Except for one guy from Australia wich was not flown in for the meeting. In a relaxed athmosphere without any stress we got to try our new clothes, had some medical checkups and spoke about the first few races of the season. It looks like my first race of the year will be in Malaysia.
Yes, there were lots of discussions, but I understood very little. The climax for me was when I got to try my new bike! It is fitted with a longer stem and a wider handlebar. I will have to get used to that. But I must say my first carbon bike is really beautiful!
Now I am going to use the time until Christmas to train in the Toscana, to get my basic fitness right....
25. September, Review of the Season 2005
On Saturday I started on short notice at the teamtimetrail in Bad Zurzach. Now the season 2005 has come to an end. Because I have found a new team where I can develop myself further, I am fully satisfied with my first professional season. I have lost some of the respect towards the big names, but on the other hand I have realized that I still have to go a long long way to get to the top. I have learned a lot. I will start with the preparations for the new season earlier then this year. But first I will go on a vacation and then I will move to a new home!
In my next report I will tell you a bit more about my new team. But please be patient, it will take a while.....
18. September, GP Isbergues
It was my last race for this year, and once more I felt good and I was in good condition. The route in Northern France took us along narrow roads with short climbs and thousends of changes in direction. Because of that the race was very nervous and fast right from the start. During the whole 200 km there was a very fast rythm. Several groups managed to get away from the peleton, but they were all caught again. I was able to ride the fast pace without any problems.
Towards the end a group of about 15 riders broke away and unfortunately we couldn't catch them anymore. I rode a good sprint in my final race of the season....
11. September, GP de Fourmies
This race suited me very well. The pace was once more very fast right from the start. Most of the topteams entered the race with different riders in the team compared to yesterday. But the winner was the same. I very soon found out that my batteries were not fully charged yet after the long race we had yesterday. I had good legs only for a short period after about 80 km. Then I had the feeling of a strange, empty stomach and after about 150 km I called it a day.
Next sunday will be my last race for this year and for my team eD'systems.
10. September, Paris-Brussels
With a distance of almost 230 km was this my longest oneday race that I have ridden so far. As I was not sure how I would get over the distance, I just tried to hide in the main bunch. The first 100 km went by very fast. But it was by no means easy. My speedometer showed 50-60 km/h for most of the time. All I saw was the backwheel of the guy in front of me. Then at last 4 riders got away. Their advantage grew up to 14 min very fast. So the pace of the peleton picked up again and the kilometers just flew past.
We caught the riders who escaped and now things became very tense and nervous towards the finish. During the last 20 km we had 3 short but steep climbs. The bunch broke up into small groups, but most of them managed to get back on again. After the last climb I rode in the long drawn out peleton und tried to get to the front, slowly improving my position. The pace was now at 60-70 km/h!! The position I had when we got on to the last km, I held it up to the finish.
I am very happy with this result. I had no problems with the distance.
8. September, Izegem Provincial Championship
This was not a UCI-Race, but there were still a lot of good riders at the start. We had to do 17 laps of just under 10 km on a circuit arround the city.
Early in the race there was a breakaway of a big group, and they managed to stay ahead right to the finish. Behind them in the peleton there were lot's of attacks. At about the halfwaymark I was in a group of about 25 riders wich escaped from the peleton. I realized that the pace of our bunch was too slow to catch the leaders. So about 2 laps from the finish I attacked and got away together with another rider. Even though we got caught with about 3 km to go, it still felt good.
7. September, Memorial Rik van Steenbergen
Today I was able to race 200 km for the first time in 3 1/2 weeks. My form seems to be OK.
The course had a long sector of cobblestones, but otherwise no difficulties at all. It was important to keep focused 100% at all times because of all the changes in direction, traffic islands and so on. Typical for a race in Belgium.
The race was flat and therefore very fast. I was able to keep up with the fast pace for a long time. But towards the end, when the deciding attacks came I did not have enough reserves anymore and remained with the peleton.
4. September, GP Jef Scherens
Luck was not on my side today. Very early in the race my right gearlever didn't work anymore. So I was only able to use the smallest sprocket on my backwheel with either the big or small disc in the front. Our team did not have a mechanic or any spare material. So it was a hopeless situation! Another race to forget.
Things can only get better.....
26. August, Contract with Team LPR
After a phase of intense negotiatons I have just signed a 2 year contract with the italian Continental Professional Team LPR. This team is in the same league as the team I am racing for now eD'systems-ZVVZ, wich directly under the Pro Tour. With a possibility of the team getting wildcards, and a good performance on my part I could even take part in Pro Tour races. This year the team took part in Milan - San Remo and in October will be racing in the Tour of Lombardy. They fully trust me and will give me the opportunety to buildup my career as a cyclist in a constructiv and cautious way. The team is based in Piacenza, wich is over 500 km to the south from here. They have a recidence there for riders who come from abroad. So I will be spending a lot of time there in the near future.

You can find more informations about the team on www.teamlpr.com

I am very happy and I am looking forward to the new season and I get started right now to improve my italian language skills.