For nearly ten years, he reported on professional cycling as a sports journalist for Velomotion. Now, Michael Behringer has launched his own cycling news website. At radsport-radikal.de, visitors can expect everything related to the cycling world: race reports, winner predictions, and introductions to new talents.
radsport-radikal aims to illuminate professional cycling from the roots
Around 200 riders spend hours in the saddle. After well over 100 kilometers, the winner is determined. Day after day. Year after year. But why did this particular professional prevail? What team tactic was crucial to this success? And who will win the next race? Radical cycling has dedicated itself entirely to cycling in order to answer precisely these questions. The platform aims to be radical – from the Latin radix ("Root", "Origin") – to look behind the scenes and make professional cycling both passionate and analytically tangible.
Focus: Tactics, teams and talents
Road cycling is a team sport. Teams are assembled, riders are nominated for races. And then? Then they're unleashed upon each other – almost like in a colosseum. Only with the difference that the roads of the world are the colosseum. Radsport-Radical reports on these races and the events surrounding them. The main focus is on the riders, the teams, and their tactics. Before the start of a tour, the stage profiles are studied and favorites are chosen. But no preview is published without including a dark horse. After all, speculating about the possible outcome of the race is the most exciting part of a preview. Who could surprise? Who will be the next superstar? No promising talent should be overlooked.
The passion began when he was 7 years old.
Like many German-speaking cycling fans, Michael Behringer's passion for cycling began in 1996. When a German professional cyclist suddenly appeared at the Tour de France When the Tour de France was causing a sensation, his father turned on the television. The seven-year-old sat beside him and asked questions that even his father couldn't answer. Together, however, they caught the Tour fever, like so many Germans at the time. A year later, Jan Ullrich won the Tour de France, and Michael Behringer recognized his passion for sports journalism even then. His parents got him a kind of Tour diary. It contained stage profiles, team and rider introductions, and half-empty pages where he could record the stage results. The now eight-year-old didn't need to be asked twice.
"Predicting and following developments is something that particularly excites me."
Michael Behringer explains that the love for cycling has not diminished despite the doping scandals by pointing to his great passion. "Scandals and difficult times have existed and continue to exist in all sports, indeed in all areas of life. Cycling has recovered and learned from its mistakes. The sport itself has always been impressive and always will be." But what captivates him so much about this sport that he eventually turned his passion into a profession? "I love that several teams with different tactical approaches meet every day and have to find solutions. Anticipating and following developments is something I find particularly exciting. During a race, the teams' tactics change. Drivers develop differently over the course of their careers. The races themselves, or rather the way they are run, are also constantly evolving. Anyone who has ever immersed themselves in this scene and truly experienced it will never lose the enthusiasm and passion."
“Cycling deserves more attention”
With his reports on professional cycling, the sports journalist aims not only to inform but also to inspire and, above all, to provide fresh insights. Many cycling enthusiasts watch the races but don't understand the underlying principles. "Especially those who haven't watched many races or only tune in for the Tour de France can quickly lose track. They ask themselves questions that aren't answered during a live broadcast. To keep these viewers engaged with cycling and prevent them from switching off, you have to guide them and explain why this or that is happening." The now 37-year-old aims to inspire people to take up his favorite sport. "I think cycling deserves more attention. This sport stands out from other sports in many ways. I am convinced that if people gave cycling a chance and knew more about it, the enthusiasm for it would be enormous." To make this happen, he has now set up his own platform: radsport-radikal.de