Interview: Michel Koch drove for two years in the Cannondale team alongside Ivan Basso and Peter Sagan. In 2015, the native of Wuppertal started as captain for the Team Rad-net ROSE. Velomotion spoke exclusively to Koch about his experiences in the WorldTour and his goals for the 2015 season.
Michel, you left your parents' house at the age of 15 to go to a sports boarding school in Cottbus. Declared professional goal: professional cyclist. This is an extraordinary step for a young person. How did you come to this?
I've actually always been a fan of cycling. I've been racing since I was little, and once you discover something you want to keep pursuing and improving. Of course, the dream professional cyclist was obvious. Later, when it became increasingly difficult to reconcile training and school, a solution had to be found. The result was a sports boarding school.
What did your parents say about that?
My parents have always supported me. It is not a matter of course that you drive your children to the races almost every weekend in summer and also lead the training. So I knew that my parents would have my full support in this decision as well. Even if it is certainly not easy to let your child “move out” from home so early.
How was life in the sports boarding school?
The daily routine was very well planned with school, training, learning and regulated meal times, but in the evening the friends were only one room away. Since we athletes all had the same training conditions, I learned above all that, in the end, in addition to talent, it is above all discipline, ambition and perseverance that lead to success.
And successes were not long in coming: you were German Junior Champion in individual time trials and in the team pursuit in 2009 and won the federal cycling league in 2012. In 2013, Team Cannondale signed you.
That was something special, actually making it onto the WorldTour. After all, you fought long and hard for it. However, it was also an exciting adventure: moving to Italy without speaking the language and being completely on your own in a foreign country was a jump in at the deep end.
At Cannondale you drove alongside Ivan Basso, Peter Sagan and Co. for two years. How was the contact with the stars and what did you learn from them?
Due to the training camps and competitions, you live in a very small space and therefore have closer contact. Ultimately, however, it's no different with the stars than with the rest of your teammates: you get along better with some and worse with others. For example, Ivan Basso was a great help to me because he was always available and approached us "newcomers". I learned a lot, including how to properly manage my strength during a longer tour.
In 2014 you rode your first three-week national tour, the Giro d'Italia. A highlight of your career so far?
In any case. To be able to ride the Giro d'Italia, Italy's most important race, for an Italian team was really breathtaking. Driving through the last stage and knowing that you made it was a very moving moment for me.
Snow on Gavia and Stelvio, the much-discussed question about the neutralized descent, Quintana's impressive stage win: How did you experience the legendary 16th stage?
Everyone already knew by looking at the elevation profile that this stage would definitely be one of the toughest. It was already raining at the start, which didn't make the stage any easier. The pace was extremely high right from the start, so that after just a few kilometers small groups formed and fought together for the waiting period and against the freezing cold. There was no neutralization in my group. Everyone in my group had only one goal that day: somehow get to the finish line safely.
Despite promising results - including seventh in the prologue of the Tour de Suisse, winner of the sprint classification at the Tour of Catalonia and the super sprint classification at Liège-Bastogne-Liège - there was no longer a place for you in the squad after the merger of the Garmin and Cannondale teams. A disappointment?
Yes. That was a very disappointing moment for me. Getting the news so late in the year made things even more difficult for me.
Were there contacts with other teams in the first or second division?
There were contacts with three teams of the second division. When a verbal commitment was received from a team, the other discussions were ended. Unfortunately, the team broke their word and I didn't get a contract anymore.
As the captain of rad-net ROSE, you are now in the third league, but you will have more responsibility. What are your goals for the season?
I get along well with my new team-mates and feel very comfortable in the team. Unfortunately, after a very modest winter/spring 2015, I have to redefine my goals for the season. Due to my basic military service in the Bundeswehr and a stubborn cold, I didn't ride my bike for almost eight weeks. Instead of being successful, I'm currently lagging behind my form and actually have to start building up a completely new form. I hope to get back to my old form in the second half of the season so that I can be successful with my team. Alternatively, I could also imagine shifting my focus to the railways for 2015/16. The track four would appeal to me, and I hope that I can still get into the squad of [track cycling national coach] Sven Meyer.
Imagine that we do another interview in five years. How has your career developed up until then?
I got a medal in Rio with the four and was able to recommend myself for the professional circuit again with good results.
Michel, thank you very much for the interesting interview, all the best and good luck for your season!