Interview with Johannes Fischbach: "I'm sick with excitement!"

Johannes Fischbach from the Upper Palatinate raced in the Fourcross World Cup for many years before switching to the downhill camp in 2012. In addition to city downhills, "Fischi" also competed in the Red Bull Hardline. "I think the format of the Hardline is great, but I want to concentrate fully on the World Cup in 2023," says "Fischi".

The interview with Johannes Fischbach

Fischi, you've competed in three World Cups, with two still to go. How would you summarise your interim results?
The format is awesome and a lot of fun. I'm slowly growing into it. The races in Finale Ligure, Leogang and Val di Fassa were completely different.

What has been your favourite stop so far?
Val di Fassa: natural routes, partly on soft forest ground - great! I feel comfortable here and am happy with my 8th place. In Leogang we rode down the bombed-out bike park trails, which wasn't really my thing.

What is the biggest difference to the Enduro World Cup without E?
The difference is smaller than most people realise. We ride the same stages. We also have additional stages, two of which are so-called power stages: technical uphills that are super steep and challenging. Here you can lose ten seconds in an instant if you mess up your line.

Are you good at the power stages?
Rather not. It helps that I have power in my legs, but that's not enough. If you have a trial background, you definitely have an advantage. You have to imagine it as a steep uphill trail, with hairpin bends, off-cuts and root fields. The engine plays a decisive role here. We have to use standard engines, models with a lot of overrun help. So, when you stop pedalling and the motor pushes for another two or three seconds. I'm sick with excitement before these stages, I'm not used to that.

Bosch motors are considered state of the art. Do they also dominate the power stages?
In fact, the Miranda racing team has done well in the power stages so far - they use Bosch motors.

Do you think motor doping will play a role in the future?
Phew, theoretically conceivable. Anyone who wanted to cheat could. The UCI does carry out checks, but so far they have always taken place on the first day of the race and not afterwards. That would be a huge advantage on the power stages, but most of the stages are downhill. More engine power is of no use there.

In terms of hierarchy, the Enduro World Cup feels like it's above the E-Enduro faction. Can you feel that?
Ha ha, is that so? I have to admit, I don't check the net to see who gets how much attention. I also haven't watched any summaries on Discovery. I can only tell you that we spend most of our time training with the enduro guys. And that some e-racers are sometimes faster than them.

You have to explain that.
There was a stage in Leogang that we and the enduro guys rode. The route was on the Hangman park track. Here you pedal three times at the start, then it's all downhill and the engine no longer plays a role. My team colleague Alex Marin won the stage and was one second faster than the fastest Enduro rider without a motor. Faster than Moir, Rude and Melamed!

That's crazy! And what's going on with the old downhill hands Fabien Barel (43) and Mick Hannah (39)? They're riding at the front, even winning races.
Crazy! These guys are just awesome. When I saw Barel training, I thought it was Aaron Gwin riding in his prime time. I wouldn't put anything past that guy. I'm telling you, if Barel set himself the goal of riding the Downhill World Cup again, I'd trust him to finish in the top 10 after two or three races.

Wow, I can hardly believe that.
Believe me! He's got what it takes. I chatted to his team manager. He told me a story about how Barel was testing with the Canyon Downhill team. So with Troy Brosnan and Luca Shaw. They were testing new forks on Barel's home track in France - with timekeeping, of course. Barel set the benchmark on a 1:20-minute descent, and Brosnan and Shaw allegedly battled all day to beat this time. They did not succeed. Sick! The guy is 43 years old.

That's crazy.
Yes! I'm telling you. Anyone who can beat the world elite around Brosnan and Shaw by two seconds on such a short course can finish in the top ten. Home track or not.

To what extent does it matter to you whether you know the route?
A big one. Anyone can memorise a short downhill route. But hardly a ten-minute stage. And there are several of them. It helps me enormously if I know the routes. I realised that in Val di Fassa. I skied two routes there and promptly performed better. Unfortunately, the routes are finalised a week before race day. And they are often the same runs as the previous year. Those who have ridden the routes many times have a clear advantage. A disadvantage for all those who only arrive shortly before the race. You have to accept that.

How do you memorise the routes?
Like most people. After training, I retire to my hotel room and watch five hours of shitty helmet cam footage. It's annoying, but it's absolutely necessary.

The summaries on GCN, Discovery are more endeavouring than exciting. Enduro with or without an engine. Do you have any suggestions for improvement?
The Power Stages have what it takes to be a crowd-puller. It's a huge show. They are currently somewhere on the prairie. They should be brought closer to the town or city. Preferably as the last stage, so that the overall winner emerges straight away.

You are currently focussing fully on e-racing, is participation in the Red Bull Hardline still an issue?
I certainly feel like it, because the format suits me. I also have a score to settle. But I don't currently have a suitable bike for it. Maybe in 2024.