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Markus Eichler's diary from Giro
08/05/2024
When the 91st Giro d’Italia starts on Saturday, it will be a premiere for MILRAM’s Markus Eichler. It will be the first three-week Grand Tour for the Classics specialist. The 26 year-old will give us his impressions of what happens, before, during and after the stages in a Giro diary on www.team-milram.com
3 June 2024
Hello everybody,
The race is over and I have a cold. I'm back in Germany and brought a cold with me.
As I said before, half of the Giro peloton had a cold. I was as careful as I could be but in the end it got me, too. It's just a sore throat and sniffles, but after such a strenuous race it's not really what I want. But maybe that's just a part of three-week Grand Tour.
Yesterday I did absolutely nothing all day. I took it easy and looked at what had happened at home while I was gone. And of course I started fighting my cold.
In Sunday's time trial I was the first to start but unfortunately was not the first to cross the finish line. I started out just fine, but the longer it went on, the slower I got. My battery was simply empty. In the middle I thought I had taken the wrong route. There was no longer a car in front of me and I was in a long tunnel. I was a little unsure, but fortunately then I saw the car waiting for me. Suddenly Mikhail Ignatiev of Team Tinkoff shot by me like a rocket..... ok, he ended up finishing third in the stage. Danny Pate of Slipstream also passed me, and he ended up sixth on the stage. So I ended up coming over the finish line as the third rider of the day, to the cheers of the crowd. The fans weren't making fun of me, they appreciate what you go through for some 3,000 kilometers!
Overall the Giro was great. We didn't get the stage win, but we came close several times. Still, we did a good job. Our mateial also held together well over the three weeks. -- our mechanics did a classy job. We had only three flats in almost 3000 kms – I find that pretty remarkable.
All in all, it comes down to your head. When you go up the mountains alone and know that you have absolutely no chance here to win anything, then you constantly have to work to motivate yourself. I kept on telling myself to hang on, so that I could help the team in some small way. As for my legs, I reached at some point the stage where it simply couldn't get worse. I am satisifed with my first three week Grand Tour, because I fulfilled my assignments and forced myself to the finish. I can't wait to see what next challenge is waiting for me!
Greetings,
Markus
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31 May 2024
Hello everyone,
Today I will start with the best news of all – I am still in the race! I am totally exhausted but there are only about 20 km to go until the end, I can make that!
After the usual coffee in the Tour Village yesterday, we got to work. It was a pretty fast first hour. Despite a number of tight curves we were underway with an average of 51 km/h. And I had been happy because the stage started out flat......Oh well, and then seven riders got away. Kyrienka joined them at the last minute. Being in the mountains again was like a familar old pain to me. But now I have found my tempo and my rhythm for the mountains. That still doesn't make it any easier, but at least I get through the stages.....
The interesting thing is that my form has stayed on this level and hasn't gotten worse. The weather didn't help. Sheets of rain and a feeling during the stage that the world was ending and then totally cold up on the Passo del Vivione. You really have to be care, after all at least half the peloton is underway with sore throats and sniffles. The stress makes us more susceptible. When I finally got to the finish I turned around immedately and went down to the bus where I could take a warm shower and change clothes.
Today the first half of the stage was totally quiet. Everyone was chatting and no one tried anything. It was almost like a casual ride with friends. But then came the first climg. LPR just stormed away, with Astana right behind them. I rode my own speed. Up at the pass everything was covered with snow. It hadn't really rained, but we were wet anyway. Up on the Gavia was the feeding zone and we also picked up caps, gloves and so on. I stopped for a minute and put them on. The descent was great. Mountains aren't all bad, the descents can be fun when you can really tear down. Unfortunately they are usually directly followed by the next mountain. After the Gavia about half the field was with me in the gruppetto. It is hard for most us. The next-to-last mountain in the Giro, the Passo del Montirolo, was almost too much for me. It was the steepest and worst climb that I have ever ridden. Every muscle in my body burned. Totally crazy.....
Sunday I will simply see what my legs still have in them and see what happens. I start things off for everybody at 2 p.m. I will enjoy it , too, since I assume that the same super mood will rule along the course.
Greetings,
Markus
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29 May 2024
Hello everyone,
Sorry that you haven't heard from me in a while,but we don't always have internet access here...
Since it has been three days since I wrote anything, I will sum up. On Sunday, the big spectacle was on the program, the mountain time trial up to the Kronplatz. Totally crazy, up to a 24% gradient. Beforehand there were a lot of rumors about the road, and in Italian TV they showed how the Italian favorites had trained there in the snow....
Well, I was the first off at 10 a.m. and was celebrated by the many fans on the way. At this point I have to praise the organizers. Everyone is complaining about the many transfers and the general Giro organization. But this mountain time trial was perfectly organized and the road of graded sand was perfectly prepared. It felt like asphalt. And the fans along the way were fantastic – some of them stayed they eight hours and cheered every rider on. One of them even came from my hometown of Mönchengladbach! Many thanks for the support!
I rode with 34 – 28, actually mountain bike gears. And I really needed them! When I arrived at the finish, I changed clothes immediately, took the ski lift down to the hotel and then from my bed watched everyone else. I noted that my math abilities have picked up some from the Giro. It was close, but I stayed in the time limit.
Other than that, it was all rather odd. It was so steep that the mechanics sat on race motorcycles, holding replacement bikes in their hands. One motorcycle even fell over....
The food in the hotel was top class, the best we have had so far at the Giro, and my room is worth mentioning, too. I had the „Rose Suite“, with a huge canopy bed. That's where I spent the rest of my day.
The rest day was very important again. We ate breakfast and left fairly early. 300 km over two passes. We rode the last 40 km on our bikes, to loosen up our legs a bit. I ended up getting lost. Erik rode his usual fast tempo, as always, and I was a bit more casual. Then I came to a traffic circle, no teammates in sight and I had no idea which way to go. I searched for the right way for 20 minutes before our DS finally found me.....
Yesterday I noticed for the first time how difficult the day after a rest day can be. You lose your rhythm because you are concentrating on regeneration. My body was still thinking of regeneration and not of racing. Fortunately the stage wasn't too hard, even though it as tougher than expected. Somehow we just seem to be hexed in the mass sprints. Everything went perfectly but at the end there were still three others who were faster.
At the finish in today's stage, my SRM showed an average of 260 watts. And actually I just rode in the field all day. When you think I already hav eabout 3000 km in my legs, that is not bad at all. There were a lot of ups and downs, with a 10 percent section in the closing round. A rider like Emanuele Sella may find that rather flat, but some of the rest of us didn't.....if we had ridden this stage yesterday, I would have been in trouble.
Otherwise, I am still upholding my ritual with coffee in the „Tour Village.“ Unfortunately I am running out of people to drink with. Gerolsteiner only has two riders left, so I usually chat with Sven Krauss. He is also suffering. But I feel good and think, that I will also survive the final two mountain stages.
Greetings,
Markus
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25 May 2024
Hello everyone,
I am still alive, at least just barely!
A lot has happened the last few days and I must admit, that the last two stages were unbelieveable. But on the day before there was a flat stage, that I want to tell you about.
After my coffe in the Tour Village I went over to the start and was very surprised by the beginning of the stage. The tempo was very high right off the bat. High Road, Liquigas and we from Team MILRAM, that is, the teams who were most hoping for a mass spint, did not at all want a big group to get away. It was our task to be in a group, if one got away, and otherwise to make sure that everybody stayed together. Two riders did get away but that was ok and we let them go. The chase worked out better than the previous day. A total of five riders, including Matej Jurco, made the tempo for the field until it was clear that we would catch the two. On the final round it was my job to take the sprint train out of the wind. That worked out well. The whole team worked well. It's just too bad that we didn't get our hoped for stage win.
Saturday night after the first big mountain stage I felt worse than I do today. The whole day involved a lot of head work. Very hard, both physically and mentally. Over and over I had to fight with myself, but I made it.
Today {Sunday} I had, like yesterday, the obligatory coffee in the Tour Village. I noted that our group has gotten smaller. Oh well, Gerolsteiner for example only has three riders at the start. After the coffee, the fun was over. Things started happening directly after the start. We faced five climbs over 2,000 meters. I have learned that I have to ride my own tempo, and don't even twitch any more when someone takes off. Fortuantely I found my own good rhythm to come over the mountains. You always have to risk a little on the descents to make up some time in order to make the time limt. After the San Pelegrino pass we picked up a little and were able to catch the gruppetto.
Last night I was having doubts about this whole thing. But there is a good feeling of cooperation among us riders in the last part of the field. Sven Krauss of Team Gerolsteiner is, for example, a lot like me. We always meet in the morning for coffee and try to motivate each other. After all, we always end up in the same group. The team autos all work together, too. In the descent of San Pellegrino, our people gave caps to our freezing rivals. Like, I said, in the front they are all fighting agaisnt each other and trying to drop one another, but in the back, we are all riding together and helping each other.
Tomorrow comes the incredible mountain time trial stage, with an up to 24 percent gradient. Unbelieveable. I will really have to do my best to get up it, and go on my limit. But I must not overdo it. I think I will ride like the first time trial and hope that will be enough. We have mounted compact cranks for the day....
By the way, it has now happened: I have the last place in the overall ranking and so I got the black number. My „rival“ got dropped on the first climb and could never get back. Unfortunately that means I start as first tomorrow, at 10 a.m. I had so hoped that I could sleep in, but now I have to leave at 7:00 instead of 7:05. But seriously, I am very happy that I am even still here. And I will continue to fight, even if it just to be there at the right moment to fetch water bottles or take Erik out of the wind in a flat stage. Then it will have been worth it to stay here!
Greetings,
Markus
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22 May 2024
Hello,
Gosh, that was an unlucky day for us. The stage has been over for a few hours now and I'm still thinking about it. But since I haven't written anything for nearly two days, let me catch up a bit.
Wednesday I had to do without my obligatory coffee in the Tour Village for the second time in a row. We arrived only shortly before the start and there just wasn't time. The stage was very strenuous, a constant up and down. But I noted that the rest day had helped me. Nevertheless I quickly found the large group behind the peloton and we got through relatively well. The field is always acompanied by these three-wheeled motor scooters, they have two wheels in front and one in back. They stalled out right in front of us on the steepest part of the climb up the Monte Carpegna“, with much smoke and exhaust. The Italian drivers were running around like chickens with their heads cut off and it stinked like burned rubber. Plus there was very heavy rain. I was really very happy to reach our bus eventually and after a shower, to finally put on some dry clothes.
I slept well again, as I have been able to more often than not again, fortunately. This morning I wasn't going to miss out again and was in the Tour Village again. To make up for lost time, I had a double espresso.....
The stage was pretty chaotic. Today Matej rode for us at the head of the peloton to chase down the escapee. I helped him out. But it was odd. In the meantime I had let myself fall back in the peloton, to make a nature break. When I joined the field again, suddenly everybody stopped. I didn't know what was going on. Suddenly waiters appeared among us with trays and distributed little cakes. Of course a lot of guys helped themselves. It seemed to have something to do with honoring Marco Pantani. And then we just went on....
Our goal today was, of course, to ride for Erik and to bring him into position. 20 km before the finish we were all forward, Erik, Marco, Alberto and I. Then Erik crashed at km 14, which pretty much tore us apart. But it was pretty dangerous. It had rained heavily and the street was pretty slick. Somehow Erik's shoe was damaged in the crash, so it all took pretty long. Unfortunately then our radio didn't work right, and we were riding forward in the field without a plan. It's always that way, when one thing goes wrong, then everything goes wrong. That's why we can at least be happy that no one was injured. Now we have to see what tomorrow brings. That is another stage for us before we really get into the mountains...
Greetings,
Markus
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20 May 2024
Hello everyone,
Today was a very unusual day for me.
I broke my ritual and for the first time since the second stage I didn't have my coffee in the „Tour Village“. Our hotel was only 600 meters from the start. So I was able to take my time this morning, warmed up for an hour on the roller and then the spectacle started.
I was the second one to start and despite my early start time there were a lot of people along the course. That helped with the mood and I was impressed at how they rooted for me by name, as if I were riding for the overall win. I have never had that before and I found it really classy. That motivates, of course and I was really inspired to keep on fighting from hill to hill. Despite all the euphoria, I had to be careful not to overdo it. My placing isn't so important that it matters whether I lose eight, six or five minutes. I must be more careful to save something for the two flat stages on Thursday and Friday.
Today our team bus returned to us. It broke down during yesterday's transfer. We had enough team cars to get all of us to the hotel. That was when I first realized how comfortable our bus in. That't how it always is, you learn to appreciate something only when you no longer have it...
I'm not thinking at all of tomorrow's stage. I am only thinking of the two flat stages on Thursday and Friday. I'll worry about tomorrow's mountains only when I have to, maybe that will make it a little easier. At any rate the day and a half off did me good.
Greetings,
Markus
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19 May 2024
Markus Eichler's Giro Diary
Hello everyone,
After a very strenuous weekend I finally had a little time today and can catch you up on what is happening.
So, let me summarize the last two and a half days. We are now down to six on the team. Sergio Ghisalberti had to give up Saturday with torn muscle fibers in his right thigh on Saturday. Get well soon, Sergio, and quickly!
The stage was harder than expected. About 60 km before the finish there was a sharp right hard turn into an incredible ramp. None of us was prepared for it and not a few riders walked up it. I wasn't about to do that so I rode up. Since I was at the end of the field anyway, I had more space than the riders in front of me. Unfortunately I never caught up with the peloton and rode in to the finish with three others.
On Sunday I was happy to note that others were suffering afater this first week. Everyone took the stage quietly. Despite boos from the peloton, two riders took off. Then I heard, „Eichler, go up front and lead the chase“ ... So with a rider from Liquigas I led the chase. Then the other teams finally started helping. That was really necessary – you wouldn't believe how my thighs were burning. In the finale, my colleage from Liquigas and I found each other again, at the back of the field.... It was bitter in the finale. of course, that Erik was so boxed in on the right side. It had looked good for him.
The rst day started out rather dumb. Directly after breakfast we set out, at 8:30. Of course it is not so great to have a 400 km transfer on a rest day, directly across the land. Fortunately I could sleep a little in the car. Actually, we wanted to do the last 50 km to the hotel on our bikes, but we had to break it off after 30 minutes becuase it was raining so hard. So I just took an early nap, followed by a massage. We changed room-mates today, and I am now sharing a room with Erik.
Before I close out, I would like to publicly praise our soigneurs, masseurs and mechanics. They are doing a super job here and are so motivated, that it motivates all of us.
Greetings,
Markus
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16 May 2024
Hello everyone,
What a day today!
Actually everything started out just fine. I slept really well – in a Grand Tour you learn to really appreciate a good bed. After a good breakfast we had the obligatory cup of coffee in the „Tour Village“ in the sun. Then the start, the first attack and then all I could was struggle, struggle, struggle....... The field rode what I thought was a totally disgustingly fast tempo, too fast to comfortably keep up with but too slow to fall back. And then came the climbs. I must say that I found out once again that the mountains are not my specialty.
The last climb up to Pescocostanzo really hurt. I was in the gruppeto with about 30 other riders, including Matej Jurco. It is actually rather funny when you think that the riders in front are doing their best to get away from each other and back in the gruppetto, we all help each other over the mountains and do our best to stay together. At any rate, we fought our way to the finish line to the minute and just made the time limit
Fortunately tomorrow will be a little flatter. The right stage for us comes on Sunday. It is flat and there should be something for us there. And when I see how routinely Erik and Marco recover from such difficult stages as today's, then I am optimistic.
Yours,
Markus
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14 May 2024
Hello everyone,
Sorry to be so late in getting back in touch, but you have surely heard that we had a lot of stress the last few days.
Here's a little look back over the last three days. The Giro started out quite well for us. Erik Zabel brought us our first podium place on just the third stage. We all worked hard for this second place for "Ete". In the finale I pulled together my last strength in order to help our captain. But the real Stress started after the race. We had to take a two-hour ferry ride across the Straits of Messina. We didn't get to our hotel until 11 p.m. and only then did we get something to eat. We had to do without our massage -- not a good regeneration after a hard stage!
Tuesday was the first stage on the Italian mainland, all the way down in the bottom of the boot. After a so-so night, we went to the "Tour Village" at the start. There we riders can find everything we want. I really needed the delicious espresso after those few hours of sleep... ;-) But I wasn't the only rider in the peloton complaining of a lack of sleep. Fortunately the day didn't start out so fast. The Belgian Rik Verbrugghe took off right at the start and so we had a nice, quiet workday. But at some point we had to get to work and we went all out for Zabel. Unfortunately it wasn't quite enough in the end. But we could still be satsified with our performance and with Erik's sixth place.
Then we had a quick drive to the hotel! After the race is before the race..... The masseurs did everything they could on Wednesday to get us to the hotel faster than the day before. This kind of wild driving exists only in Italy -- I don't think I should say any more! Just this much: We weren't the only ones. All the teams were going in the same direction, and so there was a second race on this day.....
We were rewarded with a great dinner. Like every evening, actually! After the usual daily routine of dinner and massage, I fell into bed. I slept straight through for the first time in two days. This morning I was caught up on my sleep and felt refreshed, so I could really take in the full Giro "experience" for the first time. At the start we got some great applause. Erik Zabel was particularly warmly greeted by the public.
The euphoria along the course was equally unbelieveable. In the villages, they showered all of us, but especially the wearer of the pink jersey, the Italian Franco Pellizotti, with pink (!) rose petals. I've never seen that before....
Too bad we didn't have anything to do with the day's outcome. But at least the transfer to the hotel was pretty short. We rode the four km to the hotel on our bikes. After a delicious dinner and a thorough massage I now finally have time to turn on my laptop and make contact with the outside world.
I will now enjoy the rest of the evning and will be back in touch again in the next few days.
Yours,
Markus
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11 May 2024
Good morning!
Boy, what a stage that was! Directly on the second day we had to master 3800 climbing meters. That’s asking a lot of a Classics rider like me, after so many races this spring. But that’s the way it is. If you love your sport, you do it. And we haven’t even gotten to the hard stages of this Giro yet.... ;-)
We had the first climb after only 10 km. The first six km were nice and quiet until Quick Step picked up the tempo. Boy, that really hurt and it broke the field up.
After the climb, Slipstream, with Christian Vande Velde in the pink jersey, took over. Not too fast, but also not too slow. Meanwhile two riders took their chance and rode away. Oh well, we saw them again eventually -- after their 140 km escape.
We saw lots of crashes today and the hilly closing round made a sprint impossile for us. I lost a whole seven minutes today.
Monday is the first flat stage. Wish us luck, that we can bring our captain Erik Zabel all the way up to the front.
I’m eager to see the volcano Etna. We ride around it and I hope that we take our time After all, we don’t come to Sicily every year, and I’d like to take home a few impressions of the landcape.....
‘til tomorrow!
Markus
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10 May 2024
Greetings from Italy!
So, the first stage is over. We were all very nervous before the start of a Grand Tour. We put in a good performance in the opener and just barely missed the tenth place that we were aiming for. We can all be satisifed with the result. There was a super mood in Palermo. The Italian fans are simply undescribeable.....
We got to the start at 10 a.m. and went directly out to look at the course. We rode it twice. Lots of curves, almost always rolling and pretty slick – rather uncomfortable to ride.
After that we had a little something to eat and relaxed some. 60 mintues before the start we all went on the roller for a collective warm-up, so to speak....
At 3:30 we finally left the start ramp. A team time trial is always something special. Ready, set, go...... We were the first of a total of 22 teams on the course. Somehow we just couldn't find a rhythm on this difficult course. Once we finished we started getting nervous. When each team crossed the finish line, we asked ourselves how many would be faster than us.
In the end, we had the 11th place. We were in the Top Ten for a long time, but the Italian team Lampre pushed us out of that by a fraction of a second. After the stage we went directly back to our hotel. Things were pretty hectic in Palermo. I wonder if there is so much traffic in every Italian city...
Once we arrived at the hotel, we were back to the daily life of a pro cyclist. Massage, dinner and then bed, because Sunday will be a hard stage. We looked at the course Friday during training. A climb, 8 to 9 km long with about 6 percent gradient. We are all really looking forward to it.......
Yours,
Markus
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8 May 2024
Hello everyone,
Yesterday I finally arrived in Palermo. It was nice journey, and so typical of the life of a pro cyclist: you are underway a lot and get to know what seems like every airport in the world. When I think about how many hours of my life I have spent waiting in airports ..... it's crazy!
Oh well! Yesterday (Wednesday) I left my home in Mönchengladbach for the airport in Cologne. Then I flew to Verona and after a wait, I went on to Palermo on Sicily. After a grand total of 10 hours of traveling I finally made it to our hotel.
I ate something quickly and then went directly to bed. Boy, was I tired. It was a typical travel day, with lots of waiting and endless sitting around.
On Thursday morning I was awakened by a knock on the door at 7:30. Blood control! I felt like I had just fallen asleep and there it was already time to get up again. But I didn't have any choice. The controls are irritating, but we are all fighting for a clean sport and have to put up with them.
At breakfast I finally realized for the first time that I am actually going to start in the Giro d'Italia on Saturday. Crazy! Ever since I was little kid I have dreamed of starting in one of the Grand Tours. I can't wait to see what it will be like here in Italy. The Giro is supposed to be a really tough one this year. But I'm not thinking about that. I am just happy to be here and will enjoy the (strenuous) days as much as I can. The Italian landscape and panoramas will reward me for my efforts, I hope.
There's still a lot to do before the race starts. But first of all I have to climb on my bike. Along with my MILRA M teammates I will go check out the Sicilian countryside for about three hours. That is one of the advantages in the life of a pro cyclist. You see lots of countries. Und when you aren't immediately in the race or hurrying to the start, then you sometimes have time for a delicious espresso in a typical Sicilian bar. We have a great hotel not far from the ocean. I wonder whether there will be time for a short stroll on the beach sometime in the next two days.......
I will keep in touch with you here during the Giro. I hope that I can tell you some interesting and funny things in addition to the sports news.
We'll see how it goes. Cross your fingers for me and my Team MILRAM!
Yours,
Markus
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