Rider portrait: Johan Vansummeren
What is the first memory you have involving a bicycle?
When I was seven or eight years old I went with my father and his friends on this ride. I had a not as nice bike. [Ed. A little bike?] Oh, not so little because I have always been a little bit bigger than the rest! I was only allowed to ride two kilometers with him and then I had to go back. I wanted to go more but that came pretty soon too.
I went to boarding school but when I was home on the weekends my father would make a parcours for the mountain bike and that is how I most started into biking.
What is your favorite race?
I like Paris-Roubaix because it suits me the best — you can have a lot more fun in the race when you can ride for winning then when you come in 40 minutes behind the winner.
If you were not a professional cyclist what career would you have pursued?
I could study that was no problem — maybe I would have been a doctor same as my father. I had to invest time in my studies, I could study everything but I was always quite active too and schools did not like that as much.
My father said, ‘Ok you get one year to try and be a bike rider and if it doesn’t work you stop and you go to school.’ But I turned professional a year after that.
That’s why he gave me the chance — he knows the studies are important but the most beautiful thing is doing the things you love and if you can make it professional even better.
Is there a little-known fact about you?
I don’t know, a lot has been written about me. Now if a journalist calls I don’t know what to say anymore because I’ve already said everything about myself fifteen times! I have no secrets!
What do you like to do for fun?
Even when I’m on holiday I always want to go back on my bike — but not really training, just to hang out with my friends, just ride for an hour and get coffee. I really enjoy that, for me it’s really nice. In the bike season I really just don’t have any other hobbies. With more than 100 races this year I get up in the morning and train, then sit on the couch and the wife makes a nice dinner and then go to bed — that’s the way of a bike racer, training and resting.
With so many days on the road what do you like to do when you come back?
Nothing special, I’m so used to it. I don’t have any problems being away from home. Sometimes we go to a restaurant or something but there is nothing that when I get home I need to do. Maybe when I’m really tired or after the last Classic like Amstel when you can eat frites again! I think it’s a good thing not to have because it can make you homesick.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/jFDkAkTeMaI[/youtube]
Jump on to next question, click on the timer below:
0:13 How does it feel like standing on the Roubaix Velodrome?
0:37 Did you know you could win the Roubaix?
1:09 How did you get into cycling?
3:10 When dd you realize that you were good on cobbles?
4:18 Any bad experience on cobbles?
4:42 What tyre pressure do you run on cobbles?
4:49 Are there other races that you dream of winning?
5:36 When was your first time in the SanRemo SpeedSuit?
6:20 Whats the benefits of wearing the SanRemo SpeedSuit?
6:39 What about the winter SanRemo Thermosuit?
6:54 Whats your favorite Castelli product?
Related articles:
Video interview with Johan on the Roubaix Velodrome
Sanremo SpeedSuit for Roubaix