Tobias Ludvigsson: “The Giro is my big goal this year”
In his very first stage race of the season – Etoile de Bessèges – Tobias Ludvigsson won the individual time trial and the overall, and thus confirming what people knew for a couple of years: that he’s a very talented rider, with huge potential. After Bessèges, he finished 5th in the GC of the Tour Méditerranéen, after having bad luck in the ITT, and then moved to Italy, where he did Strade Bianche and Roma Maxima.
Now, the 23-year old Swedish rider of Argos-Shimano is ready to start the 49th edition of Tirreno-Adriatico, where he hopes to get some good results. One day before the start of the “Race of the Two Seas”, I got to talk to Tobias and found out what he thinks about his results so far and what are the future goals for this year.
– Tobias, you’ve had an excellent start of the season. Did you expect for all to go so well?
Yes, I couldn’t have had a better start than this and it’s great for my self belief to know that I can win races. I knew I had a chance in Etoile de Bessèges, because I felt good, so I was expecting a nice result, but not a victory. This win means a lot, because I was looking for it since last year, so it was great to get it so early in the season.
– How was the winter training?
I didn’t do things much different than last winter. I’ve been for a day in the Netherlands at our Sports Center to try to save some watts, and I did ITT training, of course.
– Beside the ITT, did you train also for the climbs?
My dream is to have important results in the Grand Tours and there you have to be climb well and I’m working on that. I just moved to Girona for this season, so I hope I can do much better on longer climbs.
– Last week-end, you raced in Italy. How was that experience?
Strade Bianche and Roma Maxima where so cool and I hope in a few years I can do really good there, especially in Strade Bianche, because you race on gravel roads and that’s why I like it so much, as I started with mountain bike.
– What are your next targets?
I hope I can continue my progress and win a few more races, but it feels like it will be a bonus from now on, as I have my first victory already. Tirreno-Adriatico is next for me and I want to do a good time trial in the last stage, and see how I feel day by day. If I’ll have a chance to do a good GC, that would be great, but it will be hard with all these strong riders there.
– Later in the season you are scheduled to ride the Giro d’Italia. With what expectations will you start?
Indeed, I’m aiming at the Giro d’Italia again, because it fits me. I will go for the individual time trial, but also for some other stages. It means a lot that I did the Giro last year, now I know how to handle a three-week race and how to get better every day.
– Is this a goal for the future, to do well in a Grand Tour?
Yes, that’s the idea. I want to win a big stage race, like the Giro, the Tour, or the Vuelta.
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