Frank: “The idea of doing something in sports after my career and encouraging people to step on their bike was already growing in my head in the last years. A Granfondo is one of these projects. A different step that I took together with my wife who has already experience in organizing sports events.”
How many riders will we see at the start now on Saturday?
“1600 people have pre-registered and we have ordered an additional 400 numbers for day registrations. The weather forecast is very good so we hope to get close to 2000 riders. It’s a big success which I didn’t expect for this first edition. We can build on this event and let it grow in future years.”
Do you still train a lot? Are you fit to compete in front in the event?
“I try to ride my bike as much as possible but the last weeks have been hectic with the final preparations, so it’s hard to judge how good the condition is. I hope to be in the front, but I’m not going to battle for victory if I’m able to. Most important is that I’m there and show people around. Andy is also taking part together with Bjarne Riis and Fabian Wegmann.”
What else do you do since you’re retired?
“The Granfondo took a big part of my time since I stopped. Apart from that, I’m also an ambassador for Mavic.”
You also became a coach?
“Well, as part of the event’s promotion, there is a project on RTL television in 5 weekly broadcasts in which I train and guide 9 people and prepare them for the Granfondo. I go around the course in weekly parts and focus on one specific item in the preparation of the 7 men and 2 women. One week I discussed the bike and gearing, the next week nutrition, then recovery and massage, the fourth week we put the focus on technique and behavior in traffic to finally make an overview in the final week. You can have a look at the show on http://www.rtl.lu/sport/cyclissem/1026946.html “
What can riders expect on Saturday?
“The Granfondo for all males up to the age of 59 is 162k on the rolling hills of Luxemburg. Climbs are never very long, but the road is mostly going up and down. All women and the older men over 60 have a shortcut to finish after 90k. These roads were my favorite training routes so I’m happy to share them with others.”
