Interview Clara Koppenburg (EN)

 Interview Clara Koppenburg

She spend her childhood in the mountains and at the age of 27, it's still her terrain. Clara Koppenburg developed herself into a more then decent climber. While other riders get tired of intense racing for days, she gets better. After good results in many stage races, she took part in her first Tour de France this Summer. In this interview she tells about her experiences and she shares a little 'secret' about her training. 

You are taking part in your first Tour de France. What expectations do you have in the run-up to the race?

I have to admit that I was really looking forward to my first TdF, but at the same time I had a lot of respect for it.

I had watched 3 stages beforehand and knew how hard it would be. In addition, the peloton was HUGE with over 150 riders and the level was extremely high. Each team took their best 7 riders and they all wanted to ride their best possible race: be it in a breakaway group, in a sprint, in a time trial or in the mountains. Every day there was hard riding, attacking, nothing was given away to each other...

The first 4 days I had a lot of trouble finding my way around the peloton. If I'm honest, I felt more like a gap filler/extra. In addition, I had two crashes, difficult weather conditions and increasing self-doubt.

Although there were an incredible amount of spectators, we received so much attention, gave interviews and were treated like queens, I hardly had the nerves to enjoy it. Every second of the race I was tense, afraid of making mistakes, crashing, falling off....

It wasn't until fifth stage that I started to feel part of the Tour. I got into a strong breakaway group and was able to sprint for the podium at the end. From then on I felt more self-confidence and was able to focus better. So I was able to fight my way up in the overall classification and with a good time trial I was able to finish in the top 15.

An acceptable result! I could have done better if I hadn't lost so much energy in the first few days because of the crashes.

 

You have finished around the top 10 in every stage race you have taken part in. What is your secret to being so consistent throughout the year?

I think stage races generally suit me more than one day races. It usually takes me 1-3 days to get used to the race and I can play my cards out the back while others might get tired.

I don't train on the typical 3-1 block (3 days training/ 1 day rest). Sometimes it's 10 days of training, sometimes 5.... This helps me. That my body and head don't fall into a rhythm and I can also get through stage races well. Basically, it's important to set your highlights at the beginning of the year so that training, rest periods and competitions are well coordinated and you can perform consistently!

 

 

Although you are only 27 years old, you already took part in your first Grand Tour 8 years ago. Has a lot changed in the sport since then?

Oh so much!!! Everything is much more professional, teams are bigger, they have big buses, more staff (several physiotherapists, mechanics, bus drivers, cooks...) ... the whole environment makes it easier for us female riders to concentrate fully on the race. You could say we only have to pedal, eat and sleep... everything else is taken care of by the team environment which is a real luxury.

But also the races themselves have become much more professional and popular. In the past, you could hardly follow our races in the media, now almost everything is broadcast. This makes our sport more popular, more money "flows" and most of the riders can finally make a living out of it!

But it also got tougher. The level rises from year to year. Sprinters can now also ride up the mountains, the average speeds are getting higher and higher, the power density is getting tighter and tighter, which makes it enormously difficult to stand out from the "crowd".

I have the feeling that in the past, if you trained a lot, you'd outrun everyone. Today, training is one thing, we all train a lot... the decisive factors are now things like mental training, nutrition, food during the race, material, altitude training, supplements, bike fittings....

I really believe that all riders are extremely hardworking, train hard and live healthy, but those who do the right environment, material and things like altitude training camps have chances to win.

 

You have mainly participated in stage races. Would you also like to take part in more one-day classics?

I like stage races. It's worth the journey..🤣

I find stage races tactically exciting because there are different interests! There are sprints and mountain classifications, time trials, etc.

I think stage races show more who really belongs to the best because different qualities are tested and you have to perform every day anew.

Of course it's a huge success when you win a one-day classic, but for me it's nothing like winning the Giro or TdF after 8-10 days...

I also like to ride one-day races and to develop myself athletically and tactically, but I see my future in stage races.

 

You took part in the notorious Tour des Pyrenees. How did you experience the events at this race?

oh dear... it was not a nice experience. I was really looking forward to it because the routes looked promising and the region is a dream. Already in the first stage it was a chaos with cars, missing ambulance, neutralised race phase and then in the decisive 500m where I fought for the victory a moving car in our group...

The second the was not much better so it was the only and right decision. That we boycotted the race.

I think we can be proud: that we set a sign even if it was hard to make the decision.

I would have wished. That a decision had already been made after the second stage and that we had received the necessary support from the organisers and not had to listen to reproaches.

Safety is the top priority and if this cannot be guaranteed, it is a no-go to continue the race.

I think it is a great pity. That it was all blown out of proportion and put in the wrong light. Of course, I feel sorry for the organisers, because a lot of work and money goes into such a race, but at the same time we all know that it was the right decision. That it was the right decision.

 

You were born near the mountains. Did you already like cycling in the mountains when you were a child?

No, on the contrary. I only started cycling when I was 17. As a child I didn't like it at all and concentrated on other sports such as athletics, basketball, skiing and horse riding.

But now I am very happy to live in the most beautiful region in the world and to explore the mountains on my bike.

 

What is your favourite climb you have experienced so far in a race or in training?

Mont Ventoux will always be in my memory. Simply because it is such an iconic mountain, so brutal and beautiful at the same time and I could probably achieve my best result there.

Otherwise, I love the climbs in the Black Forest because they are always beautiful in the forest, you can ride between 2-18km uphill with different climbing profiles, the roads and views are perfect and it's just so varied.

 

The best years are now ahead of you. What are your future ambitions?

Basically, the most important thing for me is to never lose my fun and to stay healthy. Of course, crashes are part of it, but I hope that I'm through with the broken bones for now.

Apart from that, I dream of different jerseys like the German champion's jersey, a leader's jersey or mountain jersey and one or two victories in big races.