Forced to drop down to Continental level as a result of the Geox TMC debacle, Marcel Wyss has pledged to fight back and to return to where he feels he belongs in cycling. The Swiss rider was part of the unfortunate Geox-TMC squad which found out very late last year the team might be closing. The sponsorship trouble was soon confirmed and riders were left scurrying to find employment at a time when most teams had already finalised their rosters.
“It was a bad day,” Wyss told VeloNation, speaking as he prepares for an unexpected season riding in the lower ranks. “I was on holiday [when I found out] and I never thought that I’d have to search for a new team. It was the same situation in 2010 when I was with Cervélo. But this time it was even later and because of that it was almost impossible to find a WorldTour team.”
Big name riders like Denis Menchov and Juan Jose Cobo were snapped up quickly by WorldTour teams while Carlos Sastre had already announced his retirement from the sport. But for riders like Wyss, it was desperate times.
“I had contact with a lot of teams. And also my manager Chrisitan Baumer was looking all the time to find something. But finally in the middle of January I had to sign something.”
With no victories the last two years, it was always going to be hard for the 25 year old, who now returns to continental team Atlas Personal – Jakroo.
“The day before yesterday I signed a contract with Atlas. But if I get an offer from a good team, then I can leave.”
The professional ranks has been a turbulent time for Wyss. The Cervélo Test Team folded in 2010, leaving him with a search, and injury has also hampered his performance. However he vows to fight on.
“I will come back to that level I was in 2010. After my accident - I cut my Patella tendon with a spoke - I had to stop training for four months. I needed the whole of 2011 to recover all the muscles. So this year I have to show the same performance or even more. I will fight for it and come back.”
Despite the hardships he’s faced so far, the Swiss manages to keep a positive outlook. “It is like it is and some day luck will be on my side,” he says.