Interview: The event bears your name, she was born in the town of Bad Säckingen, and Sabine Spitz won the title in the Olympic cross-country discipline six years in a row.
Everything indicates that the 42-year-old will wear a white championship jersey for the 20th time at the Bosch Gold Trophy on July 17. Or not? We talked to Sabine Spitz about her season so far and about the small handicaps that she says somewhat nebulous . make
Sabine Spitz, we meet you at home in Niederhof. Weren't you at the altitude training camp this time before the German championship?
No, after returning from the Marathon World Championships I didn't go up any more and when I look at the weather conditions now, I also feel an increased need to be up there (laughs). But no, it was better to be at home. From a purely organizational point of view, the air here in Bad Säckingen is burning. There are many appointments.
How has the preparation been going so far?
Well, after returning from South Africa I took a few days to breathe and then set a basic block. Now it's all about the cross-country specific units until next Sunday.
Also on the DM course at the forest outdoor pool? You probably know every stone there, don't you?
No, I haven't trained on the course yet. I was only there at a press event with Mayor Alexander Guhl. It's not like I know every stone here. The BDR technology trainer René Schmidt, who does driving technique seminars here, certainly knows the track much better than I do (laughs).
Last year, defending the title was a bit in question, having only recently returned to competition due to a shoulder injury. But next week the favorite Spitz will probably only have the 13th German title as a goal?
Sure, I want to keep the white jersey, I've gotten used to that. But there are also competitors who have not remained idle. My teammate Adelheid Morath, for example, who won in Bad Säckingen last year. Or Elisabeth Brandau, who has also trained here with René Schmidt. They were certainly able to focus more on the German Championships than I did, because I still drove in the marathon world championships.
Could that be a major disadvantage?
Well, the strains of the journey were not to be scoffed at. It takes time to freshen up. These are small handicaps. I would certainly have started preparing for the German Championships earlier if it hadn't been for the Marathon World Championships. But you also have to realize that championships always have their own character. There are surprising twists and turns, the shape curves of the athletes are different and the course of the race cannot be compared to international races.
A number of uncertainties remain.
It might sound a little like I'm beating around the bush. It's just difficult to make a statement when you haven't had a comparison for four weeks. The marathon world championship was a bit similar to cross-country in terms of profile, but you ride your own rhythm for four hours. You don't have to deal with the pressure that the opponents are putting on, nor with the pressure that is caused in Bad Säckingen by the track itself. The question that remains open to me is: how can I deal with the rhythm changes. Therefore my answer remains somewhat nebulous.
It is the second German championship in Bad Säckingen, where you were born. How much more is the 17th German title more a must than a skill?
I don't see myself under any pressure, on the contrary. I have a basically positive attitude, the character of the course corresponds to my inclinations and I am happy that I can present my sport in my home country.
You've won the cross-country title six years in a row. After the series was broken in 2007 after six consecutive years, is 2014 the seventh year it was again?
I hope not. At that time the conditions were difficult because Hanka Kupfernagel was rested at the start and we regular mountain bikers came from the European Championships in Turkey and had contested two overseas World Cups before that.
Looking back at the season so far, how satisfied are you with the first half of 2014?
Pretty happy actually. In contrast to other years, I only raced a little outside of the big competitions. This has to do with the extreme travel activity. It was simply better to set priorities and save energy. Now I'm going into the second half of the season fourth in the World Cup and with the World Championships silver medal in the marathon.
Ironically, the home World Cup in Albstadt (11th) did not go as planned.
And not even a week earlier in Nove Mesto (8th).
What was the reason?
In retrospect, it turned out that the causes were in the static area.
In the static area? What does that mean?
In Nove Mesto I've had side stitches, but I put that down to the bumpy surface. Unfortunately, it didn't work out before Albstadt with a check by Physio Hansi Friedl. It was only after the EM that he found out that a blocked ISG (sacroiliac joint) pulled a muscle crookedly and that the statics were no longer correct. That was also the reason for the side stitch. After an osteopathic treatment it was fixed again.