Interview

“I haven’t gone through good times only”

Hanka Kupfernagel is one of the most successful female cyclists ever. But in her career she hasn’t experienced only ups. A dialogue about fun in the country, burn out and the sword of Damocles of cycling.

Hanka, what makes a human being mount a bike on a terribly cold and rainy day to go bomb through the mud?
Fun.
 
Fun?
Yes. It’s a great feeling, if you sense, how well you get along with the countryside. But you need a lot of stuff for that: Cutting-edge material, a good form and the proper technique. As soon as one of these components is missing, it will be terribly difficult.
 
But the weather?
Hasn’t killed anybody yet. We’re all moving – and a cross race is over after 40 minutes.
 
Street races take longer.
(Grins.) I can’t object here.
 
Even there you are very successful, especially at time trial. What’s the difference between cross and street?
Do you have some time?
 
Well, a little bit.
The main difference is that in cross cycling your result depends more on your own effort.
 
Not on the street?
At time trial, it does. But at a normal race you are very dependant from your team. Without a good team you won’t achieve much.


So we won’t see you at street races that often anymore?
Let’s see. I would quite like to do some round trips with the national team and its young cyclists. And attending the Thuringian round trip in good shape would be an important goal, too.
 
Why don’t you simply concentrate on one discipline – street or cross?
Because especially the change is very exciting and challenging. It keeps life interesting.
 
Doesn’t it cause stress, too?
There have been times where it was very hard for me – just because I’ve been on tour the whole year and there was only cycling, no more privacy. Today I’m taking a break after the street and cross season – but in the earlier days I couldn’t afford it.
 
Why?
Because I thought: If I skip training now, I’ll get too much out of my form. And it happened once for me: in 1992. I was successful, just 18, got my licence and thought nine weeks off were a great deal. As I started training again, I had 10kg over weight and wasn’t fit at all. The rest of the year was very frustrating and hard. And therefore I have a bad attitude to holiday.
 
So ever since then you haven’t skipped training anymore? What were the consequences?
Devastating. At some point I couldn’t see any more bikes, left alone riding them. In the beginning I thought I just had to overcome my inner resistance.

But?
In 2005, I was done. Body and spirit were on a strike. The only thing I wanted was sleep and I couldn’t motivate myself at all anymore. I was diagnosed with a burn out syndrome. You see, there wasn’t always sunshine in my life.

How did you manage to get back on track?
Especially by Mike, my partner. He managed to bring back joy into my life and loosen the blockade. I was struggling. Cycling wasn’t a friend anymore – It was an enemy. But fortunately, that has changed.
 
By what method?
We visited the Robinson Club at Fuerteventura for holiday. I might add here, that this was my first vacation without a bike since I was 14. We played beach volleyball. Just for fun. Mike kept on and taught me digging and spiking. And slowly, out of hatred a new passion had grown. So I slowly rediscovered how nice sports can be. For which I still am very grateful today as it is a real benefit for my life.
 
And now you coin a new upcoming sport. Do you think there could ever be a cyclo-cross boom?
Don’t say ‘could’. It’s here already. In Belgium and the Netherlands there’s full house at every single race. For the spectators get a good show and tension to the last second.
 
In Germany cross isn’t that popular yet.
During wintertime Germans are very successful in other sports. But we’re on a good way.
 
At least there’s prize-money now at the world cup.
This was a hard fight. After three years of discussing and demanding to the UCI, we finally have a prize-money for women. Men already have for it a long time and the amounts aren’t final yet, too. But I don’t want to complain. Taking into consideration that there was no world cup for women until 2000, we have moved quite a lot. But there’s one aspect of the discussion disturbing me.
 
Which would be?
At other topics than prize-money we are quickly put equal to the men.
 
For example?
For example when it comes to drugs. That’s crazy. Look at the huge sums they’re talking about. I would have to invest a whole season’s prize-money and risk my health. I have experienced a lot by now and have collected enough successes in cycling. Anything more from now is bonus. (laughs).
 
But you’re still successful.
And that’s the best argument. Why should I use illegal methods, my parents gave me lots of talent, a healthy ambition and I could keep up with the world elite very early.
 
So female cycling is clean?
I think this problem is by far less important then for the men. But I can only speak for myself.