Fans ask, Team NetApp answers: Today: Daniel Schorn. Participating fans could win three vouchers from www.bobshop.com!

Lucs Reinhrd
When does a sprinter know that the right time has come to get out of the saddle and give it all he’s got?

Between 200 and 150 meters before the finish line, I would say. I do it when it feels right. It also depends on the situation in the race. When there’s a headwind I set off a little later, just like when the final straight goes slightly uphill.

 

Verena Rosenstingl

Is a rider “born” as a sprinter, or do the qualities of a sprinter emerge over time?

Riding in the junior classes determines what type of rider you are. Then you can develop your talent further.

What are the most important forms of training and the key elements of sprinter training?

In preparation for the season I do normal basic training with short, six-second sprints. During the season I try to maintain the basics and I train sprints of six to twelve seconds, including uphill and downhill. Apart from that I do a lot of motor training, to get speed endurance.  I also simulate the final sprint by first riding for a while behind the car and then coming out of the slipstream.

Robin Sybertz
Which units do you complete away from the bike?

I only train away from the bike in the preparation phase, in November, December and at the start of January. Then I do power training: power endurance, maximum power and speed power. So I do squats with weights, training on the leg press and jumps over a bar.

It is important to maintain core stability during the season. For that I do sit-ups, back exercises, or I train with the Propriomed rods.

 

Bartek Ferlin
What is the top speed that you can reach in a flat final sprint?

At a flat final sprint I reach up to 70km/h.

 

Denis Trubetskoy
How important is a good sprint train if you want to be successful? How does it have to be made up to be as good as Sky, for example, or Omega Pharma? 

That depends. Some sprinters only need a couple of riders to get them into position, and then they can still finish off the job. But of course the more people are there to prepare for you, the easier it is. To be successful, several factors have to come together. The sprint train has to be perfectly matched and every single rider has to be in top form. Our sprints have improved considerably in comparison with last year, and we will continue to give our best in every final sprint, to keep up with the big teams like Sky, for example.

 

Henrik Be
Where do you get your last reserves from, for the crucial sprint over the finish line? Are you in a world of your own over the last few meters, or are you really pushed on again by the fans at the roadside?

When I sprint it’s like I’m in a trance. I’m no longer aware of the fans to the right and left. The decision is taken within seconds; then everything happens automatically.