Johann Tschopp had another solid ride yesterday in stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia, finishing in 15th place, 8'44 behind stage winner Vasil Kiryienka. The Swiss rider especially enjoyed the unpaved part of the Colle delle Finestre, as he is an avid mountain biker.
Tschopp is pleased with his solid ride up to Sestriere on the penultimate day of the 2011 Giro d'Italia. "It didn't go too bad today," he told VeloNation after the last mountain stage.
The first of the final two climbs didn't start too well for Tschopp. "At the foot of the Finestre I had a bit of trouble finding a good rhythm." But further up the road he had his climbing legs back. "I finished this Giro very well. I also climbed up a few places in GC." Tschopp went from 19th to 16th on Saturday in the general classification. He did have one regret about this year's race. "I didn't get into a break that would stay away," he says.
Tschopp doesn't see this Giro as more difficult than others. "The Giro is always hard. I have done five of them." He can't really say which one was the toughest. "All the Giros are hard and mountainous. In fact all the Grand Tours are hard," he says with a smile.
"It is three weeks of racing, you have to be there every day and you have to recover well." Tschopp is happy that everything went well for him in 2011. "I didn't get sick, I didn't crash," he says. Battling near the front everyday was good for him, leaving him in a nice 16th place overall.
He reflects for a while on the question of his best memory of this year's Giro. "I really like the unpaved parts, it reminds me a bit about mountain biking. The climb of the Finestre reminded me on my home area."
He also enjoys the Strade Bianche in Tuscany. "I love those technical descents," he says. Tschopp lives away from the big cities. "I love the mountains," he explains. "I did also one season of cyclocross." Normally, his road riding keeps him too busy for that.
He still adds off-road sessions into his training. "At a minimum I train on a mountain bike once a week," Tschopp says.
Tschopp lives three kilometers from Sierre, near the ski slopes of Crans Montana. It's perfect for mountain biking. "I do it all the time," he says. "It allows me to change a bit from the road bike and also go out into nature."
After the hectic of the race life, there is another benefit of a mountain ride. "It relieves the stress a bit. So I especially like this discipline."
He will make use of the tranquility in the mountains after the Giro. "My next race is the Tour de Suisse, which is only two weeks after the Giro."