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Cyclist Stefan Bissegger (SUI) with girlfriend Celine and cat Leo.
When he was younger, Stefan Bissegger was occasionally laughed at by his rivals. Why? Among other things, he raced with an aluminum instead of a modern carbon bike. Father Bruno and mother Andrea do not have money to buy the latest and most expensive products for their son. “It never bothered me. In retrospect it could have been better,” says Bissäcker. One thing is certain: no one has laughed at the “Sage” from Durga for a long time. Bissegger is one of the best time trialists in the world, having won EM gold a month ago. “It makes me proud,” he says.
Bissegger didn’t back down after his golden coup. His next goal is a World Cup medal, he notes, “preferably gold.” On Sunday, things get serious in Wollongong, Australia, 100 kilometers south of Sydney (from 5:40 a.m. Swiss time). “The competition will be more competitive than EM, probably a lot more. Me too. I was solid when I won, but not great – I still have room for improvement,” he says.
Girlfriend Celine does his work for him
Such statements show exactly how Bissegger ticks. He is not afraid to speak in plain language. He has already faced criticism on social media for this. For example, he is said to have had a large mouth. “I am confident. But what’s wrong with that? I respect each and every one of my opponents. That’s what I love about time trials – if someone is faster than me, they deserve it. point. And then I congratulate him too,” says Bissegger.
However, the bike powerhouse admits that negative comments on Instagram and Twitter have already taken a toll on him. ‘Yes, they can hurt. I also get tagged often and then I get one message after another on my cell phone – it stresses me out. That’s why my friend Celine now looks at everything and only tells me what she thinks is important. That way I can clear my head,” explains Bissegger. But what bothered him the most? One episode comes to mind: “Once someone wrote rudely and demanded to send him a jersey by post, I wanted to throw the phone – it was rude.”
A belated birthday party?
Back to the World Cup. A practically flat 34.2 kilometers with several directional changes should suit the well-trained Bissekker. “If it’s not raining,” he says with a smile. Background: He crashed twice in the opening time trial of the Tour de France in July. “I couldn’t get along with the time trial tires. But in the dry everything fits. What if it rains? “Then this time I’ll put on road bike tires – they work well,” he says.
“All Australians hate cyclists”
The contrast could not be greater. The 2021 World Cycling Championships took place in Belgium. In other words, cyclists are worshiped like heroes. Things will be very different in 2022 – the World Cup will be held in Australia. More precisely: in Wollongong, 100 kilometers south of Sydney. Kummalar cannot be identified here.
Stefan Küng (28): “Yesterday when we were leaving a cafe, locals came up to us and asked, ‘Did you cycle here?’ Asked: They thought it was dangerous: ‘All Australians hate cyclists!›»
Kung has heard that cyclists are not particularly respected Down Under. This creates a tricky situation on the streets again and again. “But we agreed to a truce,” Durgao said with a smile.
Ultimately, the country has little cycling culture, but that’s why they applied for the World Cup. “They want to change something here, build bike lanes and get people excited about the sport,” says Kung.
He is one of the hot contenders for a World Cup medal in the time trial on Sunday (05:40 am). “I feel good about the last big goal of the season.”
His biggest rivals? Italian Filippo Canna (“He’s the man to beat”), Belgian Remko Evenboel (“He’s riding a wave of euphoria after his Vuelta win”), and Slovenia’s Tour hero Tadje Bokar (“He’s getting better and better” and his compatriot Stefan Bissegger (“He’s European Champion, that’s all there is to say”).
The contrast could not be greater. The 2021 World Cycling Championships took place in Belgium. In other words, cyclists are worshiped like heroes. Things will be very different in 2022 – the World Cup will be held in Australia. More precisely: in Wollongong, 100 kilometers south of Sydney. Kummalar cannot be identified here.
Stefan Küng (28): “Yesterday when we were leaving a cafe, locals came up to us and asked, ‘Did you cycle here?’ Asked: They thought it was dangerous: ‘All Australians hate cyclists!›»
Kung has heard that cyclists are not particularly respected Down Under. This creates a tricky situation on the streets again and again. “But we agreed to a truce,” Durgao said with a smile.
Ultimately, the country has little cycling culture, but that’s why they applied for the World Cup. “They want to change something here, build bike lanes and get people excited about the sport,” says Kung.
He is one of the hot contenders for a World Cup medal in the time trial on Sunday (05:40 am). “I feel good about the last big goal of the season.”
His biggest rivals? Italian Filippo Canna (“He’s the man to beat”), Belgian Remko Evenboel (“He’s riding a wave of euphoria after his Vuelta win”), and Slovenia’s Tour hero Tadje Bokar (“He’s getting better and better” and his compatriot Stefan Bissegger (“He’s European Champion, that’s all there is to say”).
Bissegger celebrated his 24th birthday last Tuesday. Although “celebrated” is the wrong word. “The World Cup time trial is important, I’m not worried about anything else.” If a world title comes up five days later, Bisseger will surely make up for the party. “Winning the rainbow jersey is one of the big goals of my career. If I can do it, let’s tear it up. That would be the best birthday present!”
“Friend of animals everywhere. Web guru. Organizer. Food geek. Amateur tv fanatic. Coffee trailblazer. Alcohol junkie.”
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