Jakob Fuglsang - Comments on his 2009 Season
2009 Danish Rider of the Year - Jakob Fuglsang looks back at his debut year in the ProTour with Bjarne Riis' team Saxo Bank.

2009 - In The Rear View Mirror With Jakob Fuglsang

Team Saxo Bank rider, Jakob Fuglsang was recently voted Danish Rider of the Year by Danish TV2 and the website www.feltet.dk An award that made an impact on the strong former mountain bike rider.

"It is a recognition of me as a rider and it's valuable to me that people notice the good results I'm gotten. It is particularly important when there are so many other great talented riders in Denmark such as Matti Breschel who really took some huge wins this season. It gives me a boost in morale. In my generation of riders there's a huge potential and we could almost build a competitive Tour de France line-up if we were on the same team”, said the Danish rider who is currently at a training camp in Playitas on Fuerteventura.

 Giro dell'Emilia - Jakob Fuglsang Attacks on the San Luca climb.
  Photo © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti

The title is well-deserved. By winning Tour of Denmark, Tour de Slovenia as well as several excellent results in both the Dauphiné Libéré and the Vuelta a Espana have shown Jakob Fuglsang a rider to be reckoned with in the top tier of pro riders in his debut year on ProTour team Saxo Bank  Fuglsang, has delivered some unique performances that each has a special significance for the 24-year-old Team Saxo Bank-rider.

"There is nothing more satisfying than to fulfill the goals you have set for yourself. I have worked hard and been focused to make a great appearance in the Dauphiné Libéré, and it was a bold and almost surreal experience to be out there with Cadel Evans and Alberto Contador on the Mont Ventoux where I was even able to put pressure on them both in their own terrain. Evans contacted me afterwards and would make an alliance with me in which I agreed, if the conditions were right. When I attacked the following day he was not to be seen”.  Jakob would finish 6th in the Dauphiné a strong performance for the young rider.

2009 Giro dell'Emilia podium: (left to right) Jakob Fuglsang rode an aggressive race to take second to Robert Gesink with Thomas Lovkvist third... Quite a podium, 3 of the top young riders of the 2009 season.  Photo © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti

Shortly after the "Race to the Sun" in France  race, he participated in the Tour de Slovenia where he took things in his own hands on the opening stage.

"The stage I won was 240 kilometers with several mountains along the way. I went in a break pretty early and on the last 40 kilometers I was on my own in the front. The feeling when you are alone and you know that victory is within reach is unique. That victory means a lot to me.”

After a longer break from racing, the Team Saxo Bank-rider was on the road again and arrived at Tour of Denmark after finishing Sachsen Tour and a Danish criterium.

"The idea was to have to use Tour of Denmark as part of the preparation for the Vuelta. On the first stage I was in a break which unfortunately was denied by the sprinters. I was still feeling a bit weak from Sachsen Tour but as the race progressed I was feeling regenerated and when the field entered Frederiksberg on the last stage and I was in the leader's jersey, I noticed chills spread all over my body. To win on home ground with the audience's support in that kind of caliber was a unique experience for me. But the biggest victory to date is still to win the mountain bike U23 World Cup in 2007. I had been working really hard to get so far and the satisfaction being at the top of the podium was indescribable.”

Jakob  climbs the Ventoux with Robert Gesink. Photo © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti

It's  a long way from the sunny podiums and standing ovations to the November rain in Silkeborg with his parents. It was a welcome break; but Jacob is eager to get started.

"I am often home on visits but I'm glad to be able to train around Lake Garda, starting from my apartment in Bardolino. There is a lot less rain and I almost never have a flat down here throughout the winter. Training takes place withouta schedule. I use sports director Kim Andersen as an advisor and we are doing the evaluation of the training over the phone.”

As a professional cyclist training is mandatory regardless of wind and weather and living in Denmark the whole year may be a harder load and the motivation could disappear. For the Danish rider training is not only an obligation though...

"I love cycling. That is why I do it. To ride out and enjoy the terrain and the prospect of mountain peaks is an important part of training. Even on rest days I am often out riding longer than scheduled, because I just want to get up on top of a mountain and enjoy the scenery. I could not imagine ever stopping training. It's not always my favorite thing to take a break like now, but it is necessary to restore that particular hunger it takes to be at the very front of the races.”

Preparations for the 2010 season have started and after an impressive season with victories and impressive stage placements in the Vuelta (where Jakob was on the podium three stages) Jakob Fuglsang hopes for an opportunity to join the Team Saxo Bank Tour de France line-up.

"Bjarne and I have had a small talk about my chances of doing the Ardennes Classics and the Tour de France. But there are things to be improved in order to be in that special line-up.”

On one of the world's best cycling teams being in the line-up for the greatest cycling event of the world is of course, selective. Having to select the nine riders is often a problem of luxury for team owner Bjarne Riis and sports director Kim Andersen and usually there can be room for both young and experienced riders

"Riders who Stuart and Jens are indispensable. They have so much experience and strength to give; they are an inspiration to the entire team. Such riders are hard to miss. Team Saxo Bank is a great place to be because of the positive atmosphere within the team. All riders are allowed to have an opinion and nobody is excluded which are some of the reasons why I want to stay here”, concludes Jakob Fuglsang.

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