Cycling: Marco Haller sensationally won the BEMER Cyclassics in Hamburg a few days ago. Now he is at the start of the Deutschland Tour. Velomotion spoke to the Austrian from Bora – hansgrohe shortly before the start in Weimar.
First of all, congratulations on the victory in Hamburg. How does it feel to be the new winner of a WorldTour race?
Marco Haller: Yes, of course I feel great. For me as a domestic it is something very special to be the first to cross the finish line. This is the biggest achievement of my career.
You were in the group with teammate Patrick Konrad. But Wout van Aert was there too. How did you conquer it?
That was the funny thing. No communication and no voting was necessary. The race was so difficult and the lead so small that we wouldn't have had a chance to attack or play any games. We aimed more for the podium. That's why Patrick drove and - like all of us - went through the lead to keep the group behind us at a distance. And in the end the sprint decided.
Here at the Deutschland Tour you don't have a classic sprinter with you. Will you end up trying to keep in?
I think you can see from the profiles that the classic sprint stages are not included. Tomorrow there might be a chance for the sprinters, but everything else is at least 50/50 or even harder. The tour will be decided at the Schauinsland. And accordingly, I think our squad makes sense here.
If we recall the scene when Lennard Kämna guided Jai Hindley up the hill at the Giro d'Italia, we immediately see that important help was provided. Ultimately, you are just as important to your team, even if your work is rarely seen.
Yeah, other people can judge better whether I'm important. But I've always been called up for the Tour de France without a win in the past seven years.
That speaks for itself.
That speaks for itself. Exactly. And it is as you say. Anyone with a little knowledge of the subject already knows that. I always compare it to football. Eleven drivers can't storm and score the goals. There must also be people who defend. And so that's me.
Do you have any helpful tips for young, aspiring riders dreaming of a pro cycling career?
Whoa, yes. It's just a certain consequence that is necessary. The sport is becoming more and more professional, even at an early age. But I think that's not just the case in cycling. You just have to be diligent, be consistent. That's the most important thing in the end.
Marco Haller taps Wout van Aert and Quinten Hermans in the Bemer Cyclassics in Hamburgpic.twitter.com/jOlHtjnT7M
— De Wielerwereld Vandaag (@dwv_be) August 21
MARCO HALLER @mhaller91 is your winner of @BemerCyclassis pic.twitter.com/ZOVu3PRpZF
- BORA - hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) August 21
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