Cafe Roubaix

Patrick Konrad: “I hope to race the Tour de France this year”

As a child, Patrick Konrad tried many sports – football, running and jiu-jitsu – but when he finally discovered cycling it was love at first sight, and he decided to pursue a career here. So he joined a local team before turning 14, raced against older boys and scored some strong results from the first races, which gave him the confidence that he can become a successful pro one day.

Then, as the years passed, the young Austrian began to show his potential in some of the most important amateur races, like the Course de la Paix or the 2013 Tour de l’Avenir, where he finished third. That result announced what was to come a year later, when Patrick Konrad had an excellent season, winning the Oberösterreich-Rundfahrt and a stage in the prestigious Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux, as well as coming 4th in the Tour of Austria, behind three World Tour riders, all much more experienced than him.

A very strong climber, the 23-year-old Austrian also has a fine time trial, and these skills combined with his impressive CV were for enough for Bora-Argon 18 to take him as a stagiaire for the summer of 2014, before giving him a contract. Now, entering his first pro year, Patrick Konrad has huge ambitions and is very determined to build on the results he had in the U23 ranks, in order to show everyone that he has a nice future in the sport’s biggest stage races.

– Patrick, you began cycling around a decade ago. How popular was the sport back then in your country?  

When I started cycling it was ok, we had some good international pros, like Georg Totschnig, whom I remember winning a mountain stage in Tour de France (ed. 2005, Ax 3 Domaines). When I started cycling I did it with some friends; we were 8-10 young guys, a really nice group that had fun all the time on the bike.

– Does it get more media attention now?

Yes, in the mean time cycling became more famous in my country, the media and the newspapers are more interested, because there are many young new talents in Austria, like Riccardo Zoidl, Matthias Brändle, Georg Preidler, my teammate Daniel Schorn and I, as well. Now we have a mix of good young riders and the media and the journalists know that, they are interested in the way we prepare in the winter and how we perform during the season.

– You’re a strong climber and a good time trialist, but is there something that you will like to improve?  

To be frankly, I want to be better in both. I had a good time during the training camp in Mallorca, I did an aerodynamic test and the team really supported me so far. As I said, I’m keen to improve my climbing and ITT, because I want to show my talent in stage races and I want to get as soon as possible good results for my team.

– Let’s talk about your results as an U23 rider. How important was winning the Oberösterreich-Rundfahrt?  

It was a really huge victory for me, it was my first win in an U23 stage race and it was even more important as the Oberösterreich-Rundfahrt was the home race of my team at that time. It was really important for us to get a big result there. Fortunately, my season planning was fine, everything worked and I got the victory.

– Less than one month later you came fourth in the Tour of Austria. What did it mean for you to finish ahead of so many World Tour riders?  

It was a really nice week for me and it showed me that I can perform well in a professional peloton. That result gave me a lot of confidence and now I’m happy to get a chance from Ralph Denk to race for Bora-Argon 18 and show my talent in the next two years.

– Speaking of this, how did you end up signing with Bora? 

During the Tour of Austria they told me that they want me to join them for the rest of the season as a stagiaire. Then, after I did a couple of races with the team, they informed me that I can stay as a pro and I was very happy about that.

– Did you get to talk with the management about the expectations they have from you this year? 

Yes, and they told me I have to show myself in stage races. After the Challenge Mallorca I will start the Tour of Oman, and in March I will do Tirreno-Adriatico. My race program is really good, the training camp was excellent and I’m very confident for my first races. I’m really excited to do Tirreno-Adriatico, it will be a very nice experience and I’m prepared to give my best there and to help my team. I hope I’ll make everyone happy. At the moment, it’s not 100% sure, but I also might go to the Giro del Trentino and Liège–Bastogne–Liège later in the season.

– Do you have any personal goals?  

I want to get as fast as possible very good results and victories for my team. One of my biggest goals is to start the Tour de France this year. I know I have to give my best until then, so we’ll see how things will pan out. I know I’m young, but I want to have a good form in the first part of the season and maybe this will help me get a place in the team for the Tour de France. It would be really great if I will be there. As for the years to come, I know that my future lies in the stage races and I will love to win a hard mountain stage in a big race. To be quite frankly, it doesn’t matter which race it is, as long as I get a nice victory.

Stefan Küng, a future cycling star

BMC Racing Team made eight transfers for the new season, and one of the riders who signed with the US team is the very promising Stefan Küng, one of the most fascinating young cyclists in the peloton. Just 21-years-old, Küng showed glimpses of his great potential very early, back in 2011, when he shone in the Berner Rundfahrt – which he won – and in the Tour du Pays de Vaud, a race he went on to finish 3rd, after taking a stage along the way.

As an U23 rider, the Swiss signed with BMC Development and made a name for himself during the past two seasons, winning the Giro del Belvedere, the Tour de Normandie, Flèche Ardennaise and both races (road and time trial) at the European Championships in Nyon. As if this wasn’t enough to underline his potential, Küng finished second at the Swiss Nationals, less than one minute behind four-time world champion Fabian Cancellara.

Very strong in the time trials and made for the cobbled Classics (Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix) – which he dreams of winning in the future – Stefan Küng is powerful also on the track. Most recently, we could see this at the 2014 World Championships, where he took silver in the individual pursuit and bronze in the Madison race.

In 2015, Stefan Küng will be mixing road and track, and his first race as a pro will be the Dubai Tour. Wanting to know more about his expectations for this year, I contacted Mister Sean Weide, BMC’s press officer, and he helped me get in touch with the Swiss neo-pro and take him the following interview.

– Stefan, how did you get involved in cycling?

It was by fun, I would say. It wasn’t like the family was behind, I just love sports in general and cycling especially. Then a neighbour of mine was riding a lot and sometimes he took me on the rides, so when I was 10-years-old I asked my mother if I could join a club or if I could do some races. I had to call the president of the cycling club in the area and they gave me a bike, I did the first race after two weeks with the new bike and then things went on and on. I liked it, I always did it for fun and when I discovered I’m pretty good at it and I can win races it became more fun. As an U17 I got to go in some races abroad, then as a Junior came the first World Championships, then the first European title on the track, and then, as an U23 I really started to focus on cycling and here I am now, with the BMC Racing Team, as a pro rider in the World Tour.

– Let’s talk about your U23 years. Which of the successes you had is on the top of your accomplishments?

I would say the two European titles, on the road and in the time trial. It was a really important event for the Swiss Cycling Federation and for myself as well, and I really fixed that as a big goal in my calendar. To win both titles there it was a really special thing and it is until now the greatest achievement of my career.

– How about the ITT at the Swiss National Championships, do you have mixed feelings about that? On one hand you got a nice silver medal, behind Fabian Cancellara, but on the other hand you had a problem at the start.

I had two screws to fix the back wheel and one of them broke so the wheel blocked and the same happened to the brakes. I saw it at first and I went again, but I had to change bikes, so after 500 meters I already had to stop twice and probably lost about a minute there. At the first time check I was 56 seconds down to Fabian Cancellara and at the finish 49. When I think about it I’m still happy and maybe it’s better like that, because I was there and at the end of the day I knew that I was able to perform at the same level with Cancellara. Sure, he wasn’t in the best shape, but he’s a four-time world champion and he’s a big idol also, and so it was pretty great to see I am able to compete at a top level. A couple of days before I already signed the pro contract, so I knew then that I made the right decision.

– Talking about your success on the track, how did the track background helped you on the road?

It still helps me a lot, because on the track you get the speed in your legs, it’s a fixed gear and you get a good pedal stroke. It’s high cadence racing, high intensity, and you have to know how to move in the bunch, how to use your elbows and body in order to get the best position. In my opinion is the best school you can have as an athlete and it really helps you grow. I still love the track and I still do it, because it’s a nice change from the long road races to short and very intense action.

– You’re now attending the team’s second training camp in Denia. Tell me how the first one was and how you’re feeling going into this one.

The team is good, I really like the spirit in the team. It’s a good group of guys, we laugh a lot and have fun. My form is pretty good, I’m happy with it, and I have the Dubai Tour coming up and then the Track World Championships. I also did some track training since the London World Cup and I’m really excited to start racing in my first season as a pro.

– Will we see you doing any of the pre-race program when Rohan Dennis does his Hour Record attempt, are you involved in that?

I won’t be there. It’s a pity, but I arrive that day from Dubai. I wish him luck for that and I really hope he can do it. I know the Grenchen velodrome well, I spent a lot of time on it and it would be great if he could do it, next to the BMC headquarters.

– What goals do you have for 2015?

I’m a neo-pro and every neo-pro says he wants to learn and get some experience, but that will come along on the way, so my goal is to take a chance if I’ll have it. I’m not here just to learn, I want to win races. Even if I’m pro, I think I have a chance in a shorter time trial or in a race from a lower class. If I’ll be there in the finale, I’m sure I can play my cards.

– And as your career moves forward, are there any big jewels of cycling races that you’d like to win?

The Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix suit me very well, so of course these are two of my dreams. Also, as a Swiss rider, the Tour de Suisse is very important and to get a stage there one day it would be great. At the moment I don’t think about that, I think more of races like the Three Days of West Flanders, where I can be competitive with the best. I want to take things step by step and maybe in a few years I’ll sit here and talk about if I’ll be able to win Paris-Roubaix.

Edvald Boasson Hagen: “I just want to win more races”

2015 will mark Edvald Boasson Hagen’s 7th season in the pro peloton, one which finds him in the roster of MTN-Qhubeka, his third team since turning pro, after HTC-HighRoad and Sky. One of the biggest talents in the sport, compared by some with Sean Kelly, and by others with Laurent Jalabert, the Norwegian is just 27-years-old, and so far has built himself a nice palmares, which includes Gent-Wevelgem, the Vattenfall Cyclassics, stages in the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, two GC wins in both the Tour of Norway and the Eneco Tour, as well as a silver medal in the World Championships.

A rider made for the Classics, but who is equally impressive in stage races or in the ITT, Boasson Hagen didn’t have a great season in 2014, and at the end of it he took many people by surprise when he decided to switch teams and sign with MTN-Qhubeka, where he’s sure of getting plenty of opportunities of getting back at the top. After a good start in the Challenge Mallorca (19th in the Trofeo Santanyi), Edvald Boasson Hagen is ready for the Tour of Qatar and Tour of Oman, where he’ll build up his form for the Spring Classics.

But before travelling to the Middle East, the Norwegian rider made some time to answer a couple of questions for Cafe Roubaix regarding his goals for this season.

– Edvald, 2014 was your first season without a win since turning pro. What do you think were the causes for this?

It’s not fun not winning a race, but sometimes it doesn’t mean anything. Hopefully I can do better this year. I still had good moments last season, and the best one was in the Spring, when I finished third in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. I was strong there, I didn’t win, but my team mate did it, and it was important for me to be this close.

– In the past seasons you’ve become better and better on the mountains. Do you feel this stopped your development as a Classics rider?

It’s hard to say actually, but I don’t feel that the Classics or the sprints could have been any better. I also didn’t win any mountain stages, so I can’t say if this stopped or not my development. What I do know is that I will try to go back, to be more punchy and do better in the sprints now.

– What were the reasons that stood behind your transfer to MTN-Qhubeka?

After five years with Sky, where it was really nice, sometimes it is good to try something new and when MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung came and started talking about the team’s project, my chances and the project behind Qhubeka, which helped other people throughout the bike, it was enough to convince me. I’m sure I’ll get a lot of opportunities here.

– Do you see this move as a new start in your career?

It’s difficult to say. It’s not a new start, for me it’s just a change of teams. Hopefully, I will come back and win more races again, because that’s also what the team wants, to win as much as possible and to promote Qhubeka thanks to these victories.

– On what did you focus during the winter?

I’ve been working a lot more in the gym to develop my strength and hopefully I’ll be better now on peak power and sprinting.

– What races would you like to do?

Same ones like before, the Classics and the Tour de France. I want to go in all these races and as I said, I want to start winning again, because I missed that last year.

– Speaking of the Classics, how would you rate MTN-Qhubeka’s team for these races?

I think it’s a strong group of riders, with a lot cyclists made for the Classics, and I’m sure we will race together really well.