From Mallorca with love
The Commerzbank Triathlon Team just wrapped up their camp in Mallorca and Swiss Pro Mathias Hecht chatted with slowtwitch about this annual gathering for training, team building and public relation items.
Slowtwitch: Are you back in Switzerland now?
Mathias: Yes. I am back home in Switzerland since Monday. Still waiting for warm spring weather here.
ST: You just spent time in Mallorca with the Commerzbank team. How was the camp?
Mathias: The camp was fun and it was good to see all the other teammates. We didn’t see each other for a few months so we all had a lot to talk.
ST: How much time did you spend there?
Mathias: Maik (Twelsiek) and I spent only one week there as both of us have our winter training base in warm countries (Maik in Tucson, Arizona and for me its Noosa, Australia). But the rest of the team spent around 2 weeks on the island.
ST: How much of a weather change is it currently coming from Mallorca to Switzerland?
Mathias: The weather in Mallorca was ok but not really great. Mallorca in April still means a mix of everything. After all the temperature difference from Mallorca to Switzerland was only 1- max.5°C. But before I left for Mallorca I have only been back home for five days. I was in Noosa, Australia until the end of March, so I am more used to 30°C and that makes Mallorca weather quite cold for me anyway.
ST: Was the whole team present?
Mathias: Yes. This is a very important week in the year. We don’t have a lot of chances to bring everyone together to the same place at the same time. With seven athletes we also have seven different race schedules.
ST: Is the camp mostly about training, or is it meant for team building and for PR purposes?
Mathias: It is about training, team building and PR purposes. It really is a mix of everything. A very important part is the photo shooting that takes place over several days. Everything is organized very professionally so we still find enough time for our daily training sessions. A very important part is to meet with our team sponsors too. Important people from Commerzbank and several Co-Sponsors did attend too. It is great to have a talk with them outside of a race for once.
ST: How much showboating goes on at the camp of a great team like yours? IE, are there any sprints to town signs ands /or to the top of a climb while on the bike?
Mathias: For sure there is a bit of showboating. Its fun and we can laugh about it afterwards. We are all very competitive. I think we found a good mix. There shouldn’t be too much of it. At the end of the day, we are all super focused on the upcoming races and we all know where our strengths are.
ST: Who is the biggest instigator of such activities?
Mathias: We all are in really good shapes. So 7 athletes, 7 days of the week. Every day somebody else can feel good and instigate such activity. In the pool its mostly Jan (Raphael) and myself pushing the pace. For sure Normann loves to show his power on the bike. I am always impressed what an amazing cyclist he is. Marino is also in a great shape. His Ironman Malaysia win showed that more then enough. But I did my homework too and I feel I get stronger on the bike from year to year. 2-3 years ago I would have suffered much more on long rides with them. Now I don’t have to hide anymore.
ST: Where exactly in Mallorca did you stay?
Mathias: We stayed in Alcudia.
ST: Where there lots of other Pros and age groupers training there this time?
Mathias: It was only my second visit on this island. I always heard how many cyclists are there at this time of the year. But it still was impressive to see it with my own eyes. There must be thousands of them. There are for sure more pro cyclists then pro triathletes there as the running and swimming is a bit limited.
ST: How dangerous are some of these narrow roads?
Mathias: I nearly crashed on my first ride there. There was sand and oil on the roads. Together with the rain that’s a very slippery mixture. I rode downhill from the monastery Lluc that day and in one of the narrow corners I started to slide towards a car that came uphill. I was very lucky not to hit the car. So I learned my lesson on the first day.
ST: Do you find the locals to be generally considerate towards all these athletes who have infiltrated the island?
Mathias: In general the car drivers on the island are very thoughtful. But I think there are a few cyclists in Mallorca who think they own the road. Both sides should be respectful. An island like Mallorca lives from tourism. Without the thousands of cyclists the hotels would be closed 2-3 months longer at that time of the year. And cycling is a big sport in Spain. They love this sport. So that helps a lot.
ST: What is next for you?
Mathias: I just started my tapering for Ironman South Africa. I had a great 3 months in Noosa, Australia with my coach Greg (Bennett) and “the Noosa gang” and I feel super fit and ready. I go to Port Elizabeth with big expectations. I know it takes a very, very good day to beat all those great athletes. But I will show from the first second that I give everything to make it possible. Marino showed us how to be successful at Ironman South Africa last year… That’s a big motivation for me.
ST: How about the rest of the season?
Mathias: I will be back racing in Switzerland this year. With Ironman Switzerland and 70.3 Switzerland on my focus. I hope to qualify for Hawaii in South Africa so I can risk more in Ironman Switzerland.
ST: Thank you so much.
Mathias: Always a pleasure.
