Dear readers,
last year's smoothie was repeated as hoped, because this year we managed the training camp in sunny Istria. The mixture of sweat, fun, physical exertion and maybe a tear or two made these days unforgettable. This unique taste was rounded off by the particularly good cross-club cooperation.
Last year we dreamed of Greipel, Geschke and Co. passing us on the mountain. But this time we were quite astonished when it was the fastest driver in the world who overtook us in the canyon - Rene Enders.
Together with us, the youth drivers and the student drivers in the U15 age group, he covered numerous training kilometers. When we went to the K1 together, he was able to give us some useful advice and tips. He also informed us about doping controls, how they are carried out and what you should consider as an honest athlete so that there are no misunderstandings. At this point, many thanks for the insightful hour.
As part of the training camp, there was an opportunity to ask Rene Enders a few more questions, because who knows when we will next have the opportunity to talk to him in peace and quiet.
Interview with René Enders
Mr. Enders, how come you do the training camp here together with school and youth drivers? Was it pure coincidence or a spontaneous decision?
It wasn't entirely spontaneous. I've been doing cycling for a long time now and I'm slowly having to think about what I'll do after my career. Since basic training was on my agenda at the moment anyway, I offered Stephan Hauspurg to support the young Thuringians and accompany them during their training sessions.
As a track sprinter, how do you feel about mastering training units of up to 150 km in mountainous terrain? Do you have problems on the mountain?
It's definitely the case that as a track sprinter you don't spend that long on the road. However, I already had the experience of the training camp here in Croatia as a youth driver and therefore knew what I was getting into. But it's difficult, because the schoolchildren and youth riders are now relatively quick on the mountain. But I think I can compensate for it quite well. (smiling)
Has the past week brought back memories of previous training camps?
Yes, of course, Stephan Hauspurg was also there back then and we used to drive up the mountains together. It's been 14 years since my last training camp here. That's why I didn't remember that much except for the canyon, the Mirnatal, and a few fragments as far as the routes were concerned. But it's definitely nice to be back here and you can tell that not that much has changed.
Have you spent your KB days properly for the past few days?
No I have not. I spent my KB days diligently training. That means I didn't do the classic blocks of two. I did two blocks of five. On the first day off I did strength training, with standard squats. I then really took the second rest day off and then spent the third again in the weight room and with trials on the track bike.
Are there days when you don't feel like getting on your bike? And how do you motivate yourself with such?
Of course, there are also days, especially when you've seen that one day when the weather wasn't nice for once. Then, of course, my motivation to get on the bike also drops. I think every one of us who does cycling has certain goals in mind that we want to achieve and if you have these goals in mind you just hold on to them and then swallow this bad weather and then say it's good for the overall result then to reach the goal.
How did you eat during training and what's in your water bottle?
Of course, when it comes to road training, eating and drinking while riding play a big role. Here with the younger ones, it doesn't yet happen in a schematic way. For me, however, I make a plan in advance, it's relatively easy, but I know the length of the route and therefore also know how many bars I eat and when I drink where and how much. Of course, I have to eat before I'm hungry so that I don't get hungry or dehydrated. I usually do that with normal muesli or protein bars. In my drinking bottle there are isotonic things but also water.
What is always very difficult for us, because of the short breaks between the competitions on the track, is the nutrition in between. How are they doing there?
It's really quite difficult to stay afloat between competitions. To be honest, that also depends on me. I usually do that with an egg white or protein shake and then of course I try not to eat anything greasy, so there is no bread or anything like that in between. You can then eat another bar, but otherwise I usually try to make ends meet with the shake.
With so much attention to diet, what is your favorite food and drink?
My favorite food is fillet of beef, roasted as raw as possible. And my favorite drink, besides Vita-Cola, is Martini as an alcoholic beverage.
Due to an unfortunate incident, I am currently riding one of their old bikes. What successes have you already had with the Merida?
I rode your current bike in junior year one. Since I wasn't the absolute best on the road and didn't have any great successes and I don't remember it anymore, I can't really answer this question.
Can you still remember your first racing bike? What did it look like and what was it?
I got my first racing bike from the club back then. It was a rust red diamond with frame gears, so it was a really bad bike. Later I bought a sky-blue Bianchi with my youth consecration money and my first savings.
For us as seventh, eighth and nineth graders, the question of how to reconcile school and sport always comes up. How did they manage that?
That's always very difficult. I spent the time from the fifth to the tenth grade at a normal high school. Of course it was very difficult because you came home from school at 14:30 p.m., you threw your school bag in the corner, got dressed and by 14:45 p.m. you were already on your bike. That relaxed a bit when I switched to a sports high school in 2003. There it was of course the case that everything from the timetable was coordinated with the training and the races. As far as learning is concerned, living a life at boarding school forces you to take some of your fate into your own hands. You have to grow up relatively quickly. I managed that quite well, so I didn't have any major problems.
You spoke earlier about the future. How is it supposed to go on?
So the plan is that I first drive in the German championship in June and then decide how my career will continue. I deliberately took myself out of the World Cup this year. Because I was just a bit fed up or tired from the Olympics. Since I became a father in March last year, I just wanted to have a little more time for the family.
Finally, can you give us some advice for the future?
Basically, it is important to have a goal that you really want to achieve. And you should be aware that in training, if you don't feel like it and just sit out the training, you're still only doing the sport for yourself. You can't do anyone any favors with it. You can do your parents a favor by going to training, but you have to ask yourself whether you really want to become a professional athlete later on. You can fool everyone else, but you are always honest with yourself and yes, I think you should be aware that you are doing it for yourself...
Ok, Mr. Enders, then I would like to thank you for the interview and maybe you will be there again at the next training camp here in Croatia.
The time in Istria flew by like the past few years and our Croatian smoothie will be remembered for a long time this year as well. Thanks to the numerous companions and their dedicated support, we have managed to achieve a good basis for the coming season.
I hope I was able to inspire you with my contribution again this time and I'm looking forward to the upcoming season.
Lennert Lifka
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