Riding in to the new year with style Procyclings Steve
Thomas pedalled out
with Team Telekom in Majorca;
There was a tap on my thigh, and a gesture
back. I glanced over my shoulder, it was Jan, Ullrich that is, coming past.
He’d just stopped for a pee, and I’d been audacious enough to take
his slot in the group. Respectfully I pulled over and let the big guy in.
After all his would surely be a better wheel to follow through than that of
his team mate Erik Zabel, who is in his traditional early season top form,
and training like a monster in his quest to again master the Milan - San Remo.
Ullrich, on the other hand has a reputation for being grossly over weight
and unfit at this time of year, and would therefore logically make for a better
wheel to follow, I thought. The first question everyone asks me when they
that hear I’ve been with Telekom is " So, is Jan fat then? "
Okay, he’s not thin, but even when he’s fit Jan is no lightweight.
The reckoning is that he’s carrying 4/5 kilos, which is a hell of a lot
by most peoples standards, but very little in the super diet world of big
Jan little Jan, and anyway, it’s windy in Majorca, and he gives more
protection than those scrawny thin guys.
Most of the winter Ullrich has been training in South Africa, and has racked
up a fair few miles in his quest to enter the season with a serious chance
of winning the Tour, his prime objective. And from where I was riding it certainly
looked like it’s done the trick. One thing that was very noticeable was
his smooth and fast pedalling rate, which was far removed from characteristic
rock like power churning image you counger up when you imagine Ullrich racing
against the clock or romping up some bog off mountain. This may be standard
practise in his training, but having also ridden behind Lance Armstrong, his
arch rival, I couldn’t help but notice the similarity in this uprated
rhythm, and it gets you wondering if he too has taken on board the Carmichael
fast pedalling
approach, which has allegedly been a key factor in Armstrongs transformation
in to a Tour winner.
Meanwhile, back in the groupetto. The wind was howling, but the sun was blazing.
We’d headed out to the east of the island, sticking to the flatter roads
of the east and centre of Majorca, something which the pro teams tend predominately
to do - allowing them to pile up those all important base miles. The hills,
where every amateur heads to batter himself senseless pre season, they’re
kept for big days towards the end of the camp; " I can’t understand
it, the season is so long. Guys come out to the sun and go crazy with over
training when they are not ready to, they screw up. I stay at home in Germany
during the winter, this ensures I don’t go mad with training in the sun.
" Shrugged Udo Bolts, my ride buddy. Udo is one of those guys who stands
out in such a finely drilled outfit like Telekom. The overall Telekom feel
is precise, as you may
expect, but guys like Udo and Zabel have been around a long time, and are
far more
chilled and approachable, and definitely lighten the situation.
This was day one of the camp and Rudy Pevenage, the team manager, had assured
me that it was just going to be a steady ride. Huh, this was near race pace;
" This is my first race of the season! " Grunted Udo " It’s
Italian style. Alberto (Elli) and Giovanni (Lombardi) are on the front, they
like to go a little faster. " Most of the team were out on this particular
ride, some 16 riders in all, plus one panting Procycling photographer (With
a camera stuck up his jersey and another in his back pocket - I think it’s
the first time Ullrich has had a photographer ride up alongside him and take
a pic - on a bike) The remaining six members of the team were in Oz for the
Tour Down Under. After a couple of days the groups will split in half. There’s
the " fast group," and the " not quite
so fast group, " as Pevenage puts it. The fast group will be that of
Zabel and Co, who are aiming for early season form (After we got back from
this ride Erik continued for another 2 hours). The not so fast, but not slow,
group is Jans club run, and will contain his Tour aids for the year, this
of course will include his new mountain moto Kevin Livingston, and surprisingly
a certain Andreas Kloden, winner of last years Paris-Nice. During the past
few months Kloden has been suffering with back problems, which have put him
somewhat behind with training, and have left him lacking last years early
season race winning form. With this in mind the talented Germans’ season
will now be based around the Tour, where he will make his debut. The aim will
be to help Ullrich, and to
survive the marathon without over doing things.
Some five hours later the group raced back in to Palma, complete with the
traditional half wheeling and wind up finale you’d expect. A quick wash
and brush up and it was time for the riders to go about the duties which would
now become a way of life for them for the next 8 or 9 months; Don the familiar
Adidas tracksuit, eat, drink, put your washing out, sort out niggles with
your new bikes, get a massage, download the info from pulse meters and power
cranks, relax a little, eat some more then sleep.
For me, nothing quite so straight forward. I was back on the plane that evening,
mission accomplished. The group would have to make do without me the following
day .........
Rudy says; " The holidays are over,
now the serious work begins ... "
Rudy says; " Don’t you know, Majorca is part of Germany! "
PC: Is Jan going to win the Tour this
year?
RP: If we can get Jan Ullrich as good as he was in the last week of last years
Tour then I think it will be a very close race with Armstrong.
PC: What is your biggest problem in the
Tour?
RP: Jan Ullrich is my biggest problem. Now he has good form but he also had
good form this time last year, then in February it fell apart. So, we need
to keep his weight down, and prevent things from falling apart.
PC: What will be the teams Tour build
up?
RP: That will depend on how things go in the first months of the season; Jan
will either ride the Giro, or the Midi Libre, Tour of Germany and Tour de
Suisse.
PC: Where does Kevin Livingston fit in?
RP: It was a last minute thing, we had the money, and I was very happy to
spend it on Kevin. He will be a very good help to Jan in the Tour. Until then
he will follow a similar program, but not quite so heavy - I will probably
send him with Jan to South Africa in February.
PC: How are things shaping up for the
classics?
RP: Erik is Erik, he’s always good, and is really motivated and in good
form- especially for Milan - San Remo. But we also have other good classic
guys - especially Stefan Wesseman, he was good last year, and should do well
this year.
" I’d already decided to leave Postal, that was all fine with them, when I was going to McCartneys. But the McCartney deal didn’t come together as I’d wanted and understood it would, so I had no team. Postal had already signed their riders, they knew what was happening with Telekom, and nothing was said. For me it’s a good career move, and the team have been very welcoming. People have printed some real bad things about this move, which sickens me, it’s not how it was. My main job will be to help Jan in the Tour. I don’t expect to ride 2 big tours in one year, it’s too heavy. "
