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FLACHAU
(Austria) - Austrian alpine skiing
star Hermann Maier will be used as
a forerunner for the cycling Tour
de France before its prologue on July
5th , the skier said on Friday. The
double Olympic champion will start
the 6.5-kms time trial at the foot
of the Eiffel Tower three minutes
before the start of the first official
rider, exactly at 3.47 PM.
Maier's participation is one of the
many events organised as part of the
celebration of the Tour 100th anniversary.
The double Olympic Champion, who was
believed lost for sport in August
2001 when he suffered a serious motorcycle
crash, made a fantastic comeback last
season when he won a Super-G in Kitzbühel
only two weeks after resuming competition.
He also clinched a silver medal at
the 2003 Worlds in St Moritz in the
same event.
Hermann said he had always been a
cycling fan and riding a Tour
stage was a dream come true. “I
ride thousands of miles in training
on Austrian and Italian roads and
I spend many afternoons in the summer
watching the Tour during some indoor
training sessions on my homebike in
the “Olympia training” centre
in Obertauern,” Maier explained.
“I will have near 15’000
kms in my legs at the start of the
season. It’s a great sport”.
“I've achieved superb goals in
my career but to open the 2003 Tour
will be another climax for me. I'm
proud to take part this way in the
big anniversary of the Tour. It'll
be an important date for me,”
he added.
The triple Overall World Cup champion
will use a special time-trial bicycle
he got this week from former Austrian
rider Steinmayer. He also received
full support from his Federation and
his sponsors. On July 5th, he was
supposed to attend the traditional
“Chocolate Party” in Bludenz,
but his host, Milka, didn’t prevent
him to travel to Paris. Maier may
wear a Lila jersey during his ride
in Paris. His staff is also excited
by this new challenge.
Maier's coach Henrich Bergmueller
said he was confident Maier would
not be ridiculous. “We hope for
Hermann to fare well” he said.
“Of course it is out of the question
to challenge Tour riders but it's
interesting to
gauge Hermann against them,”
he added. “Hermann is in great
shape, maybe as strong as two years
ago before his accident. He is just
an amazing athlete”.
The Société du Tour
de France, which is organising the
biggest cycling competition on the
international calendar, is also pleased
to have Maier at the start of his
competition this year. It’s the
first time that such an event takes
place in the history of the Tour.
“Hermann is a great champion
in his discipline and his presence
on the Tour as a forerunner is an
important event for us,” said
Tour deputy director Daniel Baal.
“We know that many top skiers
trains in summer with their bicycle.
It’s a good way to promote our
sport”.
Hermann Maier is facing a busy schedule
the coming week. Before flying to
Paris on July 4th , he will travel
to Prague to support the bid of the
town of Salzburg for the 2010 Winter
Olympic Games. In the days following
his exhibition in Paris, he plans
to get back on snow to begin his snow
training for the 2003/2004 season.
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