The nappy is full, even the smell of soup from the kitchen doesn't help. Little Tom (five months) needs a nappy change. Andy Eyring grabs the toddler and places him on the baby dresser. The 25-year-old was just about to leave for training, but his son is once again throwing a spanner in the works. In two hours, the World Championship fifth-placed rider has to be back at work. So every minute of training counts.
4000 kilometres away: the sun burns Markus Kaufmann's sinewy thighs. The marathon ace has been banging through the mountains of Gran Canaria for five hours. "280 watts on average," grins Kaufmann as he plops down into the plastic chair at a short stopover. He orders a piece of cake and sips his coffee. Another 20 kilometres to the holiday flat by the sea. Kaufmann leans back and closes his eyes.
Changing nappies, training camps, working in administration or studying - the lives of professional cyclists could hardly be more different. While some are only provided with a few bikes and clothes, others are paid a hefty salary. We visited the four bike pros Andy Eyring, Markus Kaufmann, Nadine Rieder and Ines Thoma and wanted to find out: Can you make a living from the sport of biking? Can you make ends meet as a marathon, eliminator or enduro rider? Or do you have to ride two tracks?
Three wet wipes and a nappy later: Andy Eyring washes his hands briefly before rushing into the basement. The sprint expert has been working as a project manager for a communications agency in Koblenz since the beginning of 2014. Five years ago, he would never have expected to follow this path. He was just about to gain a foothold in the elite cross-country class. "I had every intention of becoming a full professional and earning a living with it. After a 15th place at the Cross Country World Championships, I thought it would be a good fit." But things turned out differently. My performance stagnated and the results failed to materialise. "I gave it my all, but I didn't reach the top of the world.
At some point I had to realise that there are only a few Schurters, Kurschats or Fumics. The guys can make a good living from the sport. But some of the other 100 bikers who compete with them don't even earn any money.
The salaries in bike sport are paltry, and at some point you don't just want to live from hand to mouth," says Eyring, who fortunately rode in the Bundeswehr's sports promotion group.
At the end of 2014, it became clear just how competitive the sources of money in the professional circuit are: even Moritz Milatz (32), who finished fourth in the World Championships, did not receive a new contract from his BMC team. The Freiburg native then resumed his studies in microsystems engineering and signed with Wolfram Kurschat's newly founded team. "That's really bitter: Milatz is riding the best season of his life and has to stop practically at the peak. Let's not kid ourselves: There's a lot less money with Kurschat, and he can't pull off the racing programme he used to," says Eyring as he takes his bike out of the cellar. "When I realised that I would never make it to the front, I started to study sports management so that I wouldn't end up empty-handed. I panicked about not having done anything at the age of thirty apart from professional biking. What company is looking for the qualifications of former professional cyclists?"
Eyring sets off: intervals are on the programme, and he has to complete them quickly as he has to be on the mat in 90 minutes at Ergon - his second job. In 2015, he decided to take on another job so that the 25-year-old could make ends meet. "It's less about the money and more about getting ahead. I would also like to use my knowledge from the communications agency in the bike sector. Ergon offers a good platform for this."
The Koblenz native proved that work can still be combined with sporting performance in 2014, when he won several races. But Eyring remains realistic, because it will be tough with two jobs and a small child. "It's not about raking in the money, even if my team still pays me a good salary - a small four-figure monthly sum. It's about the attitude to life. When I wanted to become a professional, the fun of biking sometimes fell by the wayside."
Eyring's first interval is coming up. The man from Koblenz taps the speedometer and sprints off. Ten more times. Then he has to get back to the computer to work.
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