News

"I need a short break to achieve the big aims"

July 15 2009

Hanka quits her street season

The step didn’t go easy for her but was necessary. The 35 year-old quits her street season which didn’t go well due to an influenzal infection and a crash. The reason: Hanka wants to get rest to go for her big aims: the cross world championship 2011 at St. Wendel and the Olympic Games 2012 at London.

Hanka, you decided to quit the street season.
By reason but not by heart.

For the Thuringian-round trip at your home is coming shortly.
Correct. This is very important to me. If you’re racing at two seasons every year, you have to ponder carefully where to start. And taking coming tasks into consideration I had to make this decision as preparations didn’t go very well.

Why?
Already at the beginning of the season a influenzal infection and then the crash in Canada threw me back. And now I just feel that I’m running low on energy. For I haven’t saved me last winter but attacked the whole cross season very successfully.

Couldn’t you just struggle your way through?
The question is more what I want to reach by that. For the street world cup my conditional deficit is just too big. A year with a double season is like a long race – sometimes you have to get into slipstream to attack later. At October there already are the first cross world cup races on my program.

Is that a good-bye in instalments?
(Lifts her hands defendingly.) No, definitely not. On Contrary: I just need a small break here to go for the big goals next year. The good thing is that I have just made another important experience and therefore can go about 2010 very differently.

For example?
In 2011 there’s the Cross-WC in St. Wendel – and 2012 I want to go to the Olympic Games in London.

So you’ll continue with cross and street cycling?
Of course. I love solo time trial and I know that I can make it up to the top again. And I would like to win a stage at the Thuringian round trip once more.

So what’s next?
As I said: I’m putting my bike aside for a couple of days now and I’ll try to get rid of the last week’s tortures. One can’t keep the engine running full throttle for ever. (Laughs.) For it’s supposed to run for a few more years.

(Click on photo to see details.)