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Pssst! The latest insider news: Sebastian Siedler’s diary at the Deutschland-Tour and the Cyclassics
20/08/2024
19th August: The Vattenfall Cyclassics
Dear Team MILRAM fans,
the weekend was quite stressful, besides the races as well. On Saturday we had a transfer of nearly 400 kilometers before the start of the final stage of the Deutschland-Tour. From Hannover, we continued to the Cyclassics in Hamburg. We didn't sleep a lot because of the long journeys. In both races, the finales were pretty hectic and dangerous. After ten days on the bike I'm now looking forward to be at home again. I went home by plane right after the Cyclassics.
From the sportive point of view, our balance is very good. With Erik Zabel's positions and his sprint jersey, and Niki Terpstra's climb jersey we can be absolutely satisfied. I think I did my work well, although my condition wasn't that good. Especially in the first days it didn't work so well. Maybe because of the altitude training before. But it got better from day to day, a good sign for the Vuelta a Espana from 1st September. First of all there's no further race on my schedule. But this can change again soon.
See you soon,
Sebastian
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17th August: 7th stage
Dear Team MILRAM fans,
the time trial was quite relaxed for me, because the day’s as well as the overall classification didn’t matter to me. I just warmed up a little, about 15 minutes. Otherwise, it would have been one and a half hours. After that I rode regularly into the finish. I tried not to take any risk, because there’s a lot of work waiting at the weekend. After a long transfer from Fürth to Einbeck on Saturday morning the final stage of the Deutschland-Tour is waiting. It’s going to be very hectic, because the sprint classification isn’t decided yet. We’ll try to help Erik to the sprint points – on the way and in the finale. And on Sunday, there’s the next race to come already, the Cyclassics in Hamburg. But after the two flat stages and the nice time trial I feel quite fresh again.
See you soon,
Sebastian
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16th August: 6th stage
Dear Team MILRAM fans,
yesterday, we were very, very fast. The high average of 45 kilometers per hour can be explained with the special situation in the race. The break worked together very well and profited of the good wind conditions. Because of this, the teams in the field had to work really hard to catch up with them again. In each team, the duties are divided among the riders. There are riders who are in charge of closing the gap towards the break. And there are riders, like me, who have to bring the sprinters into a good position on the last kilometers. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough for Erik this time. However, he leads the points classification. And this we want to defend. We don’t have too many ambitions for the time trial. For us, the last stage on Saturday is more important. Then it is about Erik’s remaining in the front. In the overall classification, Jens Voigt will assert himself probably. I think he’ll show a strong time trial as well.
See you soon,
Sebastian
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15th August: 5th stage
Dear Team MILRAM fans,
after six days of the Deutschland-Tour I want to pay compliments to the visitors. I was very much impressed by the people on the roadside. So many visitors even on Monday and Tuesday, and all in a very, very good mood. In Austria, on the other hand, there wasn’t so much going on. I was a bit disappointed. The course there, however, had a lot to offer. The stage from Sonthofen to Sölden was a bit exhausting. Not so much because of the final climb, but because it was very fast from the beginning. The climb finale I watched from behind. I managed the climb quite relaxed, although you probably should put relaxed into inverted commas. Some riders suffered quite a lot. In comparison to that, Wednesday was nearly restful – except from the finale. First I tried to be in a group, which didn’t work out because there was a long descent and the field caught up again and again. We helped Erik to collect points for the sprint classification. In Kufstein, everything got hectic. The finale was very fast and very dangerous. The street was very narrow ,Erik was jammed and couldn’t sprint. But today’s another day for the sprinters, maybe there’s better news for us.
See you soon,
Sebastian
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13th August: 4th stage
Dear Team MILRAM fans,
Monday was a lot better for me than Sunday. I felt better, although the stage began very fast. I think we had an average speed of 50 kilometers per hour in the beginning. When we arrived in the Allgäu I brought myself to riding in the front as long as possible. It worked out fine. Before the last climb classification, the Riedbergpass, I helped Erik again to win a point in the sprint classification. So my duty was fulfilled and I could go into the final climb a little more relaxed. But I arrived in the finish with one of the first groups. After the stage, I had two visitors. My wife Kerstin came to Sonthofen with our daughter Pia (four months).
See you soon,
Sebastian
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12th August: 3rd stage
Dear Team MILRAM fans,
the stage in the black forest on Sunday wasn’t that good for me. I didn’t have a good feeling in the morning already. Maybe my legs were still heavy from the team time trial on Saturday. After the start I hoped I ride myself free. But the race started very fast and I had problems at the long climb. Then I decided to save as much power as possible and arrived in Offenburg with the gruppetto. We were pretty far behind. Of course I would have preferred to ride in the front and to help Erik, but it worked out for him without me as well. After the stage I had an extensive massage. Then dinner and a quiet evening: relaxing and sleeping.
See you soon,
Sebastian
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10th August: 1st stage
Dear Team MILRAM fans,
somehow I knew it: I just crossed the finish line in Saarbrücken when I saw my name on the board. Doping control. Right in that moment, the chaperon was already with me. The Deutschland-Tour increased the numbers of controls and the chaperon accompanies us from the finish line to the control. The chaperon was very nice and let me change my wet jersey against someting dry – under his supervision. The control took nearly an hour, becuase the rider before me couldn’t... I was fast, and we could start for the hotel in Pforzheim. The stage started in the rain. But we didn’t feel it because the race was very fast. Only when the break had escaped and the speed was slowed down a bit it got colder. In the finale, this changed again. We caught up with the escapees with some other teams. On the last kilometers it didn’t work out ideally. But I think the third rank for Erik is very good, because there are a lot of strong sprinters.
See you soon,
Sebastian
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9th August: The preparation
Dear Team MILRAM fans,
the Deutschland-Tour is an important race for my team and me. So I prepared efficiently again. I was in St. Moritz doing altitude training for eight days. I rode the passes of the Engadin, a really scenic area. I wanted to establish a good basis – for the Deutschland-Tour and the Vuelta a Espana. I felt pretty well lastly, especially because I kept on getting over the mountains better and better. One reason is probably that I lost some weight. I returned to my wife and our daughter Pia in Buchloe on Tuesday. A friend of mine took me to Saarbrücken today. As we don’t have a mountain specialist for the overall classification in our team, the sprint stages matter for us most. We’re going to work for Erik Zabel again. I want to help him as good as I can to win at least one stage. I hope the atmosphere around cycling is going to get better again at the Deutschland-Tour. What happened in the past weeks was really sad for our sport. Because of the doping cases, we’re put under general suspicion. When I think about how I suffered in the mountains at Paris – Niece – and then people say we’re all doped... It would be bad if you’d doped and you’d be still left in the dust, that’d be bad. There are riders who work unfairly, but the biggest part is working hard and clean.
See you soon,
Sebastian
Reference: Augsburger Allgemeine
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