The Dane Michael Rasmussen was the shooting star of the 2005 Tour de France. As a tough climber, he fought his way into the hearts of many fans by winning the dotted jersey of the best climber. But Rasmussen has more than just talent on a racing bike. He began his professional career on a mountain bike, won cross-country World Cups and slipped into the rainbow jersey of the world champion in 1999. No other rider can define the differences between the disciplines of mountain biking and road biking as precisely as the 31-year-old, who lives with his Mexican wife Cariza, a former downhill racer, in Lazise on Lake Garda. BIKE visited him there in his bike shop.
BIKE: What was going on at the last time trial of the Tour de France?
Rasmussen: I was convinced it would be the time trial of my life. My sporting director Erik Breukink told me: "At the first roundabout, you have to go the right way round". But I was so focussed that I followed the bike - round to the left. In doing so, I slipped. I fell hard on my hips and couldn't pedal 100 per cent. After that there were a few other mishaps. The wrong tyres, then a wrong wheel ...
What a rollercoaster. You race to the top and then land so hard ...
I think I finished the Tour as a star, not as a loser. I was one of the four riders on the podium in Paris! Without the time trial, I wouldn't have finished seventh, but fourth or third!
How did you deal with this mishap?
It was a terrible day. I wanted to throw my bike far away. I just wanted it to stop. On the other hand, I could have broken a bone in my second crash and the whole tour would have been over.
When did you know that you wanted to become a professional?
I was eight then. In 1983, I told a newspaper reporter that I wanted to ride the Tour de France in 2000.
Is there talent in cycling or just hard work?
It's hard work. But the guys who win have the most talent. I obviously have the talent to ride uphill. I only realised that when I was 16 at a training camp in Italy - Denmark was too flat and windy.
You've been a mountain biker from the very beginning. When did you decide to switch to the road?
I actually started out on the road. Mountain bikes didn't exist in Europe in 1983. I got my first bike in 1989 and won my first races. In 1992, I became Danish champion and won bronze at the Junior World Championships. It was then clear that I would start racing bikes.
Why did you take to the streets again?
In my heart I was always a road rider. The bike career was more of a coincidence. When I was 21, I was paid to ride my bike around the world and win races. That was great! I wanted to ride for a road team back in 1998, but didn't get a contract. The following year I became world bike champion and I really wanted to wear the rainbow jersey. I was also nominated for the Olympic Games. Enough reasons to continue being a biker. But in 2001, my sponsor Haro cut my salary in half because I was no longer world champion. So I only rode half the races and tried more on the road.
Were sporting or financial reasons decisive for the change?
I had seen and experienced everything in bike sport. I had seen the sport grow to a very high level, including financially. But after the 1996 Olympic Games, things didn't continue. The World Cup shrank. Even if you had won big races, television showed no interest.
So you looked for new goals ...
I always wanted to compete against the strongest riders in the world. Road racing is Formula 1, everything else, track, bike, cross-country, comes after that. You can be the best in the second division, but you don't know how you look against the best.
How were you received in the peloton?
Cycling is pretty primitive: if you ride fast, you are quickly accepted. If you can keep up with the best in the mountains, you'll immediately gain respect.
How does success affect your market value?
My value has naturally risen.
How much more do you earn?
I get ten times what I got as a bike world champion!
COMPARISON ROAD AND MTB
Which is harder: a descent down a mountain pass at 100 kilometres an hour or a World Cup descent on a bike?
On a bike, you can usually see ahead if you fall, the speed is slower. You have time to prepare. On the road you just crash, you usually don't even have the chance to take your hands off the handlebars in the peloton. Crashing hurts a lot more on the road.
How does it feel to hurtle down a mountain pass faster than a motorbike?
Last year on the Tour of Germany, we sped into a dark tunnel at 120 kilometres per hour. The road was wet and had these marker buttons in the centre ...
Are you not afraid?
I really didn't feel comfortable. Over 100 km/h is simply too fast for a person on a bike.
What prejudices do road pros have against bike pros?
Lifestyle makes the difference. We have tighter schedules, more races and have to train more. So it's easy to criticise bikers for only doing two-hour races and only 20 of them a year. However, when biking you have to ride over 100 per cent in the eight important races a year, otherwise you won't reap any rewards.
What chances would a road rider have if he entered the Bike World Cup?
With a little technical training, any good climber from the top 200 could be successful on a bike.
SUFFERING, DOPING AND ASCETICISM
Which route to the top was harder: the one on the bike or the one on the road?
It was quite easy for me on the bike because I'm a good climber. After all, that's what biking is all about. When I was 20, I was already riding in the top ten in the world. On the road it was also pretty fast. From semi-pro in 2001, it took me six months to finish the 260 kilometre world championships at the same time as the world champion. I was lucky. I didn't have to fight for years like others.
Do you suffer more on the road for success?
I think so. The races are longer, you're exposed to bad weather for longer. Take the Tour of Germany, for example: it rained for 1000 of the 1500 kilometres. A bike race lasts two hours and even in the mud and snow you stay warm because you're constantly riding fast. On the road, that's real pain. Sometimes you cry because you're so cold that you have to get off.
What do you think about the doping allegations against Heras, Armstrong and co?
Of course it's bad for cycling. Doping has existed in cycling for 100 years, but since the Festina scandal in 1998 it has attracted much more interest than before. It will probably continue to exist for another 100 years, but the sport will survive.
Isn't it depressing for clean riders to be beaten by doped ones?
Sure, but you can't accuse someone just because they're going fast. I'm doing my race and don't want to know what the others are doing. You can't concentrate on that too, otherwise the frustration will be too great. You can only hope that the rules work - and they do, as the latest cases prove!
While we're on the subject of limits: What role does nutrition play in professional cycling?
Nutrition is a very important thing. To climb quickly, I have to be as light as possible. I can't have any excess weight.
You are visibly one of the leanest riders in the peloton. How do you eat?
I try to eat only the minimum. I'm already naturally very thin. I don't have much bone mass.
Is that where your nickname "Chicken" comes from?
No, that's a different story. I simply have a small machine in my body, I can't afford more weight. As a climber, the ratio of weight to power is much more important than for other riders. If Jens Voigt is a kilo over the ideal weight, it doesn't make that much difference. If I'm a kilo heavier, that decides whether I win or come 20th.
THE WIRE TO THE BIKE SCENE
What do you envy about your old bike colleagues?
Sometimes about their short season. And that they have so much time to hang out? (Laughs). And that they don't have to race for five to six hours every day in Belgium or Spain in March.
What do they envy you for?
Certainly about the media interest, which they don't have.
Can you imagine returning to the bike?
No. If I end my career, I'll end it on the road. But never say never!
SHORT AND SWEET:
Name a person who has achieved great things: Nelson Mandela
On holiday: Deckchair on the beach or adventure trip with rucksack? Beach chair
The start of a new season: fun or stress? Fun
The scales in the bathroom: Agony or joy? Depends on the time of year
Book or internet surfing? Book
Lado Fumic is for you ... a mountain biker.
Manuel Fumic is for you ... his brother.
The greatest cyclist of all time? Eddy Merckx
The best biker of all time? Someone between Miguel Martinez and Thomas Frischknecht
Your team means for you ... Support, understanding, respect.
Training-free means for you? Spending time with my wife
The career is then over ... when I have reached my maximum potential.
PROFILE
Name: Michael Rasmussen
Nickname: Chicken
Born: 1 June 1974
Weight: 59-62 kg
Size: 1,75 m
Hobbies: My dogs
Favourite reading: "The Da Vinci Code"
Favourite film: "Seven"
Favourite car: Audi "RS6 Avant", Ferrari "F 430"
Website:
www.loslocosbikeshop.com
www.feltet.dk/michaelrasmussen
MTB successes: World champion 1999
Road to success: Stage winner Vuelta & Tour, mountain jersey Tour 2005
teams so far: Wheeler, Scott, Trek-VW, Gary Fisher, Haro, Volksbank-Ideal, CSC, Rabobank
Training/year: 37,000 km
