The gifted Alexander Wetterhall
Alexander Wetterhall is a Pro on the German NetApp – Endura squad and if you have never heard of him, you can be forgiven. Gerard Vroomen has talked on Twitter before that he is surprised that no Pro Tour level team has snagged this gifted 26-year old, but after today at least you should know this Swedish TT talent and all-around strong athlete. Alexander Wetterhall was kind enough to have a few words with us.
Slowtwitch: Thank you for your time Alexander.
Alexander Wetterhall: No worries, my pleasure!
ST: After a longer harsher winter and not so kind spring are you ready for the summer?
Alexander: I am more than ready. It was a cold winter but it felt like an even colder spring with long hard races in really bad conditions. I can't wait to get to warmer events but at the same time, if you feel good in bad conditions you have a huge advantage.
ST: You were in Poland for a 4 day stage race – what is the name of the event and how did it all go?
Alexander: Yes, we were racing the Polish event Szlakiem Grodòw Piastowskich but we just call it Grody – a bit easier. We did great, did a lot of work at the first stage in placing Bartosz Hurzarski in 3rd and Jan Barta in 4th. That was another epic day in really bad conditions. The second day was a split stage, 30km ITT, Jan Barta took the stage win and took the leaders jersey as well. We defended it well during the afternoon stage and had too put in a huge effort in the last day too make Jan cross the line in yellow. He did and got the overall title! It was a great weekend by Team NetApp – Endura!
ST: Earlier this year you scored the first 2013 win for the team at the Ronde van Drenthe. Does it help to get the monkey off the back early on?
Alexander: It helps a lot to get a win early on. I have been chasing a win for a long time now and in Ronde van Drenthe it came, finally! And the same thing for the team, always chasing an early win to get it over with and go on stronger from here. It is very important.
ST: The conditions there weren’t very nice with freezing rain, but you seemed not to care and your TT skills came in very handy that day.
Alexander: Yes, I had one of the good days when everything was going my way. I didn't mind the weather and as I said before, if you are fine racing in bad conditions than you have a huge advantage. Maybe all my winter training in cold weather helped me out here and too do a solo to the finish line was an amazing feeling! One to remember!

ST: At what point of that solo escape did you think this may actually work?
Alexander: I felt hunted for the whole ride, and didn't know what was going on behind me. Barely any time checks and not how many or who was chasing me. It was not until the final 5km that I felt that this could work out.
ST: Sometimes these solo attacks relatively far out are viewed as suicide rides or media stunts, but clearly if you don't think you can win you will not do so.
Alexander: First of all I was going for the hill premes over the VAM-berg, as I won. But it felt alright and I wanted more. I attacked with about 30km to go again. For sure I thought it was too early when I escaped alone but I believed in myself and tried my very best for the line. This day it paid off, finally. And yes, one you do not see very much.
ST: What events are coming up for you in the near future?
Alexander: Next up is Scandinavian Race in Uppsala, Sweden. A race on home soil where I will represent the National Team, always a pleasure to ride your nations colors. After this I will travel to Germany for Bayern Rundfahrt as starting the 22nd of May.
ST: What in your view would 2013 make a successful season?
Alexander: 2013 is already a good season for me so far. I just need to keep up the good work and then we will do good things together out there on the races around the world, we got a great team!
ST: Although you are very good all around rider, would you agree that time trialing is your strength?
Alexander: Yes, I like the time trials a lot but to do a really good time I need a really good day. I have done a few very good results but they are not coming easy and not every time I am racing my TT bike, even if I wish that was possible.

ST: Have you had a chance to play with the new Norcom Straight bike yet?
Alexander: Yes, I had a good run the other morning. The bike is a huge improvement from the previous one and I think we will do good things together, the fault in the TT was my own. My legs were empty after the hard, cold stage 1. But the angles feels right and the bike itself feels faster, like a good TT bike should feel. Good job Fuji!
ST: So did Jan Barta win the ITT on the Norcom?
Alexander: Yes, he did. First race he did on the Norcom Straight TT bike.
ST: Among the highlights I would think is the 4th place at the stage 3 TT of the 2011 Tour of Utah, behind Tejay Van Garderen, Levi Leipheimer and ahead of Christian Vandevelde and David Zabriskie.
Alexander: Yes, that was a good day for me. I find it easier to go fast on really fast courses. This one was on the Miller Motorsports Park outside Salt Lake City with beautiful smooth tarmac and nice sweeping corners. I had a really good run. And to beat both Christian Vandevelde and David Zabriskie is amazing itself, a great feeling, they are two of the fastest out there!
ST: But maybe you should tell us what result you are most fond of.
Alexander: Ronde van Drenthe is for sure one of the career highlights together with the ITT in Utah, my win in the TT Nationals in 2009 and my third place in the ITT in Vuelta a Murcia in 2012. But I remember the week in Ireland in 2010 when I won the overall title in The Rás, my team fought for me every single day and I took the jersey half-way, to get me to cross the final day in yellow. A wonderful feeling that it really worked out and happened!
ST: You also won the Swedish TT championships a few years back.
Alexander: Yes, back in 2009. The Nationals were just a few kilometers from my hometown and when it was this close I wanted to have a go at the TT as well. This was the first year I rode my road bike serious, before it was all about MTB XC. I trained a couple of times on the course and at the day I must have had super legs. This was the first time at the 50km length and first time with full TT equipment. I got out early and I managed to put in a really good time, an average of 50.5km/h I remember and it took me all the way up to the top step of the podium!
ST: You had joined the Cervelo Test team as a stagiaire the same year it folded. How much of a shock to the system was that?
Alexander: It was a shock. I had only raced Tour of Denmark together with Cérvelo Test Team and I did good, raced to a 7th place in the ITT and 25th overall. But then I got the phone call that the team will fold after the season. I did more races together with the team after this to find a contract somewhere else, it was still a great opportunity for me racing big events in a great team like this. And in the end of the year Brian Smith from Endura Racing called me and offered me a two year deal that I signed.
ST: As a relatively young rider, do you feel that the ghosts of cycling past or recently are haunting you and other younger cyclists today?
Alexander: Yes, for sure. But we are a new generation of cyclists racing now, young and hoping for another chance. We are doing our best, racing as hard as we can -clean.
ST: But what can you do?
Alexander: We can only affect the future not the past.

ST: On a slightly different topic, Magnus Backstedt has turned his sights on triathlon now. How well do you swim and run?
Alexander: Yes, and he is doing good. But for me, swimming and running is not a hit. So triathlon will never be my thing…
ST: Is there anything else we should know?
Alexander: Yes, there is. We received the Wild Card for the Vuelta. A huge thing for the team to race another Grand Tour this year. They chose us because they believe in us being the generation of cyclist. Now it is up to us to prove it. Last year Team NetApp raced the Giro and in 2013 Team NetApp-Endura will race the Vuelta. Great news. I really hope I can get a chance to do it but it is for the team to decide who they will select.
ST: What do you think will it take to be selected for the team at the Vuelta?
Alexander: That we will see, I will keep doing my very best in the races for the team's benefit. Then I can only cross my fingers and hope that this is enough for the selection.
ST: Well, good luck this season and thanks again.
Alexander: Thanks!
You can follow Alexander Wetterhall on twitter via @wetterhall and his team @NetAppEndura
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