Cycling: A few days ago, Paul Fietzke won the silver medal at the Junior World Championships in Glasgow. The 17-year-old German has already achieved great success at the beginning of his career. But it shouldn't stay that way, as he revealed to Velomotion in an interview.
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Congratulations on Vice World Championship title for juniors. Your results this year have been good, but not outstanding. So did winning the silver medal come as a surprise to you?”
Paul Fietzke: "My results weren't outstanding, but I would say that for a first year and the fact that I was also injured and couldn't train for a long time, it was very good at Paris-Roubaix. So I knew that I was in good shape and that I had prepared well. I've noticed an upward trend throughout the year and just got better and better. Our goal from the beginning of the year was the World Cup, which is why we made special preparations for it. And I knew that if everything goes well, if I have a good day and a bit of luck – which is always part of it – then I can drive in the front runners.”
"Unfortunately, we will never know how it would have turned out."
"When Albert Philipsen attacked, you weren't quite so well positioned. Did you think you could ride with the Dane, or was he just unbeatable that day?”
Paul Fietzke: "Exactly. I was a bit too far behind when Albert Philipsen attacked. Unfortunately, I relied on the wrong rear wheel. That was clearly my fault. If you like, I lost the race there. I do think that I could have ridden up the mountain, because the gap actually always got smaller rather than larger going uphill. But to be fair, Albert was clearly the strongest. He picked up the pace from the first lap and kept attacking. He was clearly the strongest. Unfortunately we will never know how it would have turned out if I could have stayed on his rear wheel.”
“Tell our readers a little about yourself so they can get to know you better. You're driving for Team Auto Eder this year. What were you doing before that?"
Paul Fietzke: "I started cycling when I was about 6 or 7 years old, more as a hobby in the afternoons after school as a little compensation. A few years ago I moved to Cottbus and went to the sports school there. I also drove for RSC Cottbus and am still a member there. I was able to achieve my first racing successes in the U13 and U15. And in the U17s I made my first real breakthrough. I was able to compete internationally at the front. And the move to Auto Eder changed a lot for me again. It was all very, very good for me and I think you can see that in my performance.”
“I always try to just take care of myself”
“Emil Herzog demonstrated it last year and then immediately took the next step. Is he a role model for you in this respect or which riders in professional cycling are your role models and why?
Paul Fietzke: “In any case, it was very impressive how Emil won the World Championship last year and how he drove very consistently over the whole year. But to be honest, I don't really have a role model in cycling. I prefer to focus on myself. I don't really care what the values of the other drivers are and how good they are. I always try to just take care of myself.”
"How did you get into cycling?"
Paul Fietzke: “I was brought to a club by a classmate at the time. In the winter we did normal athletic things and in the summer we always got on our bikes. This was all pretty new to me, but I wanted to give it a try. It was so much fun for me that after school I just continued it as a hobby for three or four years. At some point it got to the point that we did our first bike races and I was very good. Then something dissolved in me and I wanted to win races. Then I took it more seriously and approached it more professionally. The next step was to go to Cottbus. From that point on, I actually knew that this is what I want to do at a very high level in the coming years.”
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"How satisfied are you with your World Championship time trial?"
Paul Fietzke: “My motto was: if I finish in the top 10, I'm satisfied. And if I drive Top 5, I would have been very, very happy. I didn't have the best day. I noticed that as soon as I got up. I knew right away it was going to be a good day, but not an excellent one like the road race before. So I think I made the best of it. I am absolutely happy with the top 10 at the World Championships in such a difficult time trial.”
"Are there already plans for you as to how things should continue after this season .. especially with regard to Bora - hansgrohe or Lotto - Kern-Haus?"
Paul Fietzke: "I'm still in my first U19 year, so it's relatively easy for me to say how things should continue. Of course I want to continue with Team Auto Eder. That gave me so much, supported me so well and helped me further. I wouldn't be where I am now without the team. How things will continue in the U23s after that... there will probably be a little something in store for me in the next few years. But I'm relatively relaxed and just let everything come my way. Since I'm U19 in my first year, I don't have to make any decisions this year. I'll just see how it develops."
"One day to win the Tour de France."
"Thank you for the interview. One last question: Which race would you like to win in your life and why this one?”
Paul Fietzke: “Honestly, there is no specific race I would like to win. I decide within a season which races to focus on. But all in all, I just want to perform very well at every race and preferably win every race. But of course this is not always possible. You just have to be honest with yourself. This year my big goal was to win the World Cup. I didn't make it, but I was there, I had a say in the race and I was on the podium. So it was definitely a successful season, also because of the victories I was able to achieve. Victory in the stage drive in Cottbus was an emotional victory for me. There may be other goals next year. As a kid, my dream was always to one day win the Tour de France. But even then I have to be honest with myself. The way these races are run and the way I'm physically built, I'm unlikely to achieve this goal. I'm too muscular for that, too lively. We'll have to see how I'll develop physically in the years to come and what kind of driver I'll eventually become. I will then set my goals accordingly. If I could one day become world champion among the professionals, that would of course be a dream.”
The interview was conducted by Michael Behringer.