Roman Kreuziger today started Tour Méditerranéen. Not many days ago, however, the 26-year-old Czech spent a few weeks in January at Team Saxo-Tinkoff's training camp on Gran Canaria.

CyclingQuotes/Feltet.dk met the new rider of the Danish team, and we were, first and foremost, curious to know about his impression of his new team.

”First of all, I have found that the organization with Bjarne Riis is really nice. Second, it’s the team of a rider like Alberto Contador, which makes it easier for someone like me. My level is really high, but when most of the pressure is on him, and on the team, it’s better for me. So I have nothing negative to say at this moment,” said Kreuziger and stressed his need to develop as a rider without feeling under too much pressure.

But is that so important – and why?

”I think it is. I have now tried to be a leader for a couple of years, and it’s not easy. In every team it’s better to have different types of riders, and here we have Alberto at a really high level – and also strong riders for the classics, like Benatti and Matti. And for the shorter stage races Roche, Rogers and myself. With some very promising young riders, I think the team as a whole is really strong,” Kreuziger tells.

He is already an experienced rider who now understands his own needs. For this reason, he was convinced to join Team Saxo-Tinkoff.

“In my opinion, as a rider for the stage races there aren’t many teams where you can develop as a rider. With Bjarne and the staff and riders at Team Saxo-Tinkoff, I got the impression that we could do something together. So the big objective for me was to able to ride alongside Alberto and also to learn from someone like Bjarne.”

You have mentioned Bjarne Riis a few times now. Have the two of you already built a close relationship, and what can you learn from Bjarne Riis and his team?

“Sure, he was one of the big motivations for me to join this team, and we are very often in contact.”

“I can learn to pay more attention to all the small things, like the training, the food, the process of recovery. And when you put all these things together, you can start to grow and perform better. In cycling at this level, and especially at this moment, it's all the small things that are opening or closing the gap. At Team Saxo-Tinkoff everybody is focused on the small details. That can make the difference,” explains Kreuziger and also reveals that he had been in contact with Alberto Contador beforehand.

“Before I decided to join Saxo-Tinkoff, I not only spoke with Bjarne and my manager, but also with Alberto. We spoke a couple of times, and both of us agreed that it would be fantastic to work together.”
 

Working together, in this context also means learning from the Spanish Grand Tour star. For Kreuziger in the future to be able to challenge someone like Contador, he still needs to improve. It is obvious to everyone that he has the potential to be a great grand tour rider himself, but he is still not quite there yet.

Improvement is still necessary – but where?
 

“That's pretty simple,” he answers – “I lose to much time on the time trials. You can see that on the results from the past two-three years. So that's where I have to work and improve, because without a good time trial you’re not going to win the races. There's a long time trial near the end of every stage race, and you cannot hope to be fighting for the podium if you lose too much time. Moreover, we need to look closely at my preparation in order for me not to have one or two bad day during a three weeks long stage race. We have to check everything, my training, and analyze it to see where it can be better.”

Are you moving in the right direction, even if the season hasn't yet started?

“Personally, I feel more relaxed. It's important for me to know that the whole team is behind me, and that they will support me. When being relaxed and in good shape, the build up will be better, and I believe we move in the right direction. I look forward to start racing.”

And what races will you be at this spring?

“We discussed my program at the training camp in November and decided for me to start in Tour Méditerranéen and then move on to Tour du Haut Var and Paris-Nice. Then I will build up for the three Ardennes Classics and ride Tour of Romandy. If everything goes as planned I should be ready to ride the Tour de France with Alberto.”

So no Giro d'Italia for you this season?

“No, I prefer to ride the Ardennes Classics, and you have to choose if you want to be at 100 %. It will be too much to ride both the Classics and the Giro.”

Are you yourself a potential Tour winner?

“If you don't try, you never know how far you can go. I would like to be on the podium of a grand tour some day, but it's a long way, and I need to take it step by step. If I did something wrong in the past, I have to learn from it and restart, which I think is possible at this team. I have trust in myself, and if things go right, I hope one day to win a grand tour. But I need time – and luck,” concludes Kreuziger.