Hi guys!

I hope you enjoyed watching the Tour of Austria! I thought it was a really great race, everyone gave it his best shot, Marcel did really well in the general classification, and we were among the front riders at every stage. All in all I came home on a high. I’m enjoying my race-free time at the moment, though, and am going to tell you a little bit about what I do behind the scenes. You only actually see us in the race, but we do have a life outside of it!

I think it’s the right time for a break right now. I’ve done so many races this year and am glad to be able to spend some time at home. Though whether I’m in a race or at home, I’m busy. After the Tour finished, I spent time with my girlfriend riding our bikes, treated myself to some fine food and enjoyed life a little. And of course, the Tour de France is on TV in the afternoons.  Sometimes I start thinking of what it would be like to be there. When I see what’s going on, I really look forward to competing one day myself. It is of course the biggest race in the world!

Normally in my free time I catch up with friends, head to the mountains, go to cafés, or ride my motorbike. It’s nice to spend time with non-cyclists every once in a while, because you spend such a lot of time with your team when you’re racing. The motorbike is an excellent way to relax – you just hit the gas and don’t need to worry about pedalling! A nice change. Otherwise I just sit back, close my eyes and leave all my cares behind (not while on the motorbike… of course!) 

Besides relaxing at home, we can’t let training out of our sight. Apart from one day a week, I train really hard. As you might have noticed, I enjoy my free time, but I like my job just as much. At the moment I train by myself, but it really depends on who is in the area and what kind of training I’m doing. I prefer to do interval training alone, but when I have to do basic training I mostly look for a partner. Having a goal helps keep me motivated to train and I’m focussed. Without a specific goal in mind you can take it a little easier. A next goal for me is for example the World Championship in Valkenburg and I have pretty good chances of participating in it. Motivation isn’t really a problem for me anyway, though, since I’m already looking forward to the second half of the season.

My hopes for the second half of the season? Well, as with any rider: scoring good results and keeping healthy at the same time!

Perhaps we’ll see each other at the World Championship!

Matthias