Cycling: Jens Heppner is a former German professional cyclist who remained involved with cycling as a sports director even after his career ended. Among other things, he rode for the Telekom team and won the Deutschland Tour in 1999. Velomotion spoke to “Heppe” about his past as an active player and about his current training status. He also told us about his bike tours, which he accompanies as a guide. One of his personal highlights in 2017 will be a trip to South Africa in connection with the Cape Town Cycle Tour, the world's largest cycling race for everyone.
Hello Jens Heppner, thank you very much for taking the time today so that we can talk a little about your past as a professional cyclist and as a sports director, as well as about your current activities.
Let's go back to the active time, do you miss being a professional cyclist or are you glad you don't have to compete in races anymore?
Jens Heppner: Thanks and hello from my side too. To answer the question straight away: I hardly miss racing as such anymore, I had a long career and I think I used my active time as long as I could and I can live with not racing anymore. Of course, that starts with the risk of falling and goes all the way to constant riding in the rain, if you've been active as long as I have, you don't really need it anymore. However, I still need cycling and, above all, exercise, when you have been adjusting your body to exercise and sport for years, that is very important.
How much do you still sit in the saddle and are there other sports that have priority now?
Jens Heppner: Hard to say, I think around 10.000 km per year, so in the range of an ambitious hobby driver. I don't do any other sports, which is also due to the fact that I'm somewhat limited in my active time due to falls. Besides, I still enjoy cycling, so I can't understand a lot of alumni who suddenly say after their career they don't want to get on their bikes anymore.
After your career as a professional, you were also active as a sports director for several years. How does this activity change your view of being a professional?
Jens Heppner: In principle, of course, these are two completely different tasks. As a professional you get up in the morning, eat, ride your bike, eat, go for a massage and go back to sleep. You don't have to worry about anything and only concentrate on the essentials. It's completely different as a sporting director, without a doubt it's a great job, but it also demands a lot from you. You have a similar travel stress as the athletes, but you have to take care of and organize a lot. The long car journeys behind the field, sometimes at 20 km/h, are mentally very tiring.
As a sports director in the car, don't you wish you were a professional again?
Jens Heppner: Very rarely, there are moments when you think for a moment that I would like to be out there too, but then the next moment you see the crashes and the hustle and bustle or it rains all day.
Then let's put the past to rest. You said you still cycle a lot yourself, what else is moving with you at the moment?
Jens Heppner: In addition to everyday life and my bike training, I do a few bike trips. Among other things, a trip to South Africa with Prostyle is planned for next year, which I am particularly looking forward to because of my connection to the country.
Where does this enthusiasm for South Africa come from?
Jens Heppner: I was made aware of Udo Bölts at the time because I often had problems with my paranasal sinuses and he said go there, it could do you good. So I went to South Africa for the first time in the late 90s and I really liked it. That also led to South Africa becoming my second home for a while.
What makes South Africa so special for you, what is the difference to other destinations such as the cycling island of Mallorca?
Jens Heppner: In terms of the routes, Mallorca is of course great, but the weather there is often bad or it's just not particularly warm. South Africa offers a bit more holiday character, which was also important for me as a professional in December, since you're usually just on the road and sitting in hotels all year round. When you come back from training in Mallorca it gets dark relatively early at this time of the year. In South Africa you can go to the beach and just switch off a bit. In addition, you don't have to exhaust everything in December and the routes in South Africa are perfectly adequate for this purpose. I can't understand many hobby cyclists who are always annoyed by bad weather, but still don't want to try anything new. After all, the conditions should be pleasant and the holiday character should not be neglected.
As you said, there will soon be a trip together pro style at. What is planned there and what are you doing there exactly?
Jens Heppner: A 10-day camp is planned. On the one hand I will be there as a guide on the bike, because I know some great tours thanks to my knowledge of the routes. But I also know my way around off the bike, so we don't have to sit around in the hotel after training. In addition to the classic tourist spots, I show the participants a few places that you wouldn't get to as a normal tourist. There is a lot to see and also good food, not always just pasta. I'm also happy to help with everything that has to do with the topic of material, be it the seating position or the saddle, anything that comes to mind. Of course, the stories from the past are always very interesting for the participants, so I always give a few insights. A highlight at the end of the camp will be the start of the world's largest race for everyone, the Cape Town Cycle Tour. This is an amazing experience that no hobby driver should miss out on.
Finally, a question about the current cycling situation in Germany: Keyword tour start - what do you think of it, will you maybe even be somewhere along the route?
Jens Heppner: I probably won't be there at the moment, but it's definitely a great thing that the tour is coming back to Germany. I hope and think that it will give even more impetus to cycling as a whole. The team situation in Germany is also getting much better again. A big problem is that there are hardly any German races or sponsors for these races. The Deutschland Tour is supposed to come back, which is a good thing, but there used to be a few tours like this, so you could almost fill an entire racing calendar with only German races. I hope that something will happen again in this direction.