For the past six days, the three-time German champion has been served rice pudding again and again - in all variations: sometimes with curry, then as rice pudding or with coconut fat. "A piece of pumpernickel would also be something," grins Käß (top left in the photo) and attracts the suspicious glances of his team members, because for the tours - and actually also otherwise - the rule is: gluten and lactose-free in Team Centurion Vaude. "Well, you can never really tell how much good that will do us. But the races are getting faster and faster. You have to turn over every speck of dust to get half a per cent more power," explains the man from Ofterdingen and goes into a little more detail: "I didn't used to think like that. But I've always eaten well, I learnt that from my parents. Over the years, it got a bit better and better. I've been cutting out wheat completely for a while now. All of this is also reflected in my body composition." If you look at Käß, you see one of the most well-trained bikers: five per cent body fat, according to the last measurement. The veins stretch across his stomach, not to mention his legs.
"The whole team always pulls you along. Take a look at Geisi (Daniel Geismayr/editor's note), he was in a completely different position two years ago. Now he's totally trained. I don't even need to talk about Brazzo (Markus Kaufmann)," explains Käß, plonking a scoop of rice pudding on his paper plate. Then he adds some fruit purée. "After races, we need to replenish our energy stores quickly. We get special mixed shakes and easily digestible carbohydrates, like this rice. It's pure starch, real fattening food." Käß learnt after the Cape Epic that this doesn't always look good on the scales: "We suddenly weighed more than before. You have to imagine that. After the toughest stage race ever. We suspect it was the Black Cat," laughs the 34-year-old. Geismayr, who is sitting next to him, nods. Black Cat is a peanut butter spread that is available in all flavours in South Africa. The dangerous thing about the high-calorie spread is that it tastes damn good.
The rice is gone. Käß grabs a few homemade date nut bars. "It all tastes good here, made from scratch every day. I live similarly at home." And what does that mean? "A good balance of vegetables, fruit, carbohydrates and protein - all at the right time. Every nutrient has its place. I listen to my inner voice, which tells me: this is good, this is not."
RACE FOOD - Käß has a special diet on tours: here is a small selection.
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