17.12.2004/ For the early seafarers the Cape of Good Hope marked the turning point in their luck because once the \"Cape of Storms\", as Bartholomeus Diaz called it in 1488, had been passed, the battle against the sea was basically won. The T-Mobile riders, who are on a training camp in South Africa, will also be hoping that their hard work on the roads of the Cape will lay the foundations for a successful campaign in 2005.
\"When we step out of the house in the morning, the first thing I do is take in the beautiful view\", says T-Mobile captain Jan Ullrich about how he starts his training days amid the stunning natural beauty of the Cape of Good Hope.
Olaf Pollack is also impressed with the setup: \"From our patio we have a magnificent panoramic ocean view. After a hard day of training, it is perfect for relaxing in the balmy evenings\".
But it definitely no holiday camp for the riders down there, as veteran campaigner Jen Heppner is quick to point out: \"We are sweating it out here in temperatures of 30 to 35 degrees\". The evergreen Heppner, who turns 40 on December 23rd, is lodged with a group of his Wiesenhof team mates, and T-Mobile rider Eric Baumann, just a few kilometres from the Jan Ullrich camp.
<b>Joint training rides with Wiesenhof </b>
The two groups meet on the road for joint training rides. \"It is always a quiet stormy down here. Bigger groups are better for riding out the wind - each rider can spend a little less time riding into the wind\", explains Matthias Kessler, who won\'t be surprised to learn that the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet at the nearby Cape Agulhas, a surfers\' paradise.
A varied training schedule sees the riders spending between five and seven hours on their bikes. \"We are riding between 150 and 200 kilometres per day. Some days we follow the flat terrain along the coast and other days we head into the hills. The focus is on endurance rides, rather than speed work\", says Gerolsteiner sprinter Danilo Hondo.
<b>Ullrich keeps with the program</b>
After recovering from a cold and a later than planned arrival at the training camp, Jan Ullrich is peeling off the group and returning to the lodgings a little sooner: \"I am following the guidelines of my coach, Rudy Pevenage. So, right now, my workload is three to five hours per day on the road.\"
Ulle is currently putting in rides of 100 to 150 kilometres at an average tempo of 30 kmph, but he will shortly be upping the ante: \"That will change next week. I\'ll be doing exactly the same rides as the other pros\".
<b>The fast men</b>
New T-Mobile recruit Olaf Pollack is enjoying the training camp with his new team mates: \"They are a good bunch of lads. They are looking after me\", says Pollack, who is also putting in some additional training rides with Eric Baumann. The two sprinters are keen to get magenta train in gear for next season. \"We are doing some speed work, and working on lead-out techniques.\"
Pollack and the Wiesenhof contingents are departing South Africa on December 22nd, with Jan Ullrich probably following them on Christmas Eve. In contrast, Tour runner-up Andreas Klöden will celebrate Christmas and the New Year in the South African sun, together with Kessler and Hondo. (GL) |
楼主
>Rolf Aldag (Ger), Eric Baumann (Ger), Giuseppe Guerini (Ita), Serguei Ivanov (Rus), Torsten Hiekmann (Ger), Serguei Yakovlev (Kaz), Matthias Kessler (Ger), Andreas Klier (Ger), Andreas Klöden (Ger), Tomas Konecny (Cze), Andre Korff (Ger), Daniele Nardello (Ita), Olaf Pollack (Ger), Jan Schaffrath (Ger), Stephan Schreck (Ger), Bram Schmitz (Ned), Tobias Steinhauser (Ger), Jan Ullrich (Ger), Christian Werner (Ger), Steffen Wesemann (Ger), Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz), Erik Zabel (Ger). </P>
