Note: a couple of hours after this interview was put online today, Rasmussen won the TD Bank International Championship in Philadelphia. The victory is a further sign of his talent and blossoming career.
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One of the surprises of the 2011 Giro was the ride HTC-Highroad’s Alex Rasmussen produced in the final stage time trial in Milan. Despite a puncture in the last kilometre, the big Dane ran a scant seven seconds behind winner and Worlds silver chrono medallist David Millar (Garmin-Cervélo). Had he not flatted, the result would have been far closer.
Rasmussen’s genes are undoubtedly good: his father Claus was a multiple Danish track champion who rode the kilometre at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.
The young ‘Razi’ gained his first medal with bronze in the Danish junior sprint championship in 2000. Within a year he was junior national champion in the sprint, team pursuit and kilometre, and added the senior titles in the latter two for good measure.
Five more national track titles came his way in 2002 along with his first Worlds medal: bronze in the junior scratch championship. The progression continued over the following seasons, with multiple Danish titles, European and World Cup track podiums, his first win a UiV Cup race - the U23 six day series in 2004, then European and World scratch titles in 2005. His Euro Madison title saw him partner Michael Morkov to victory.
Road successes began to pile up in 2006 including the Tour of Berlin, where he out sprinted a certain Mark Cavendish, and the Danish under 23 time trial title. He and Morkov also picked up second place in the Six Days of Grenoble.
In the years since his career has continued to gain pace. His results in that time have included the Danish elite road title, four stages in the Tour de Qinghai Lake, World titles in the team pursuit, Madison, and scratch races, six day wins, two stages in the Four Days of Dunkirk, a time trial win over Bradley Wiggins and Tony Martin in the Ruta del Sol, plus the GP Herning.
This year saw Rasmussen/Morkov top the leader board in Copenhagen again, and the Dane being part of the victorious HTC Giro TTT machine. He also played a key part in Cav’s two stage wins and went close to that final TT victory.
He spoke to VeloNation a few days after the Giro’s Milano finale. He was getting over the Giro then, and building up for today’s TD Bank International Championship in Philadelphia.
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VeloNation: First off, do you think you would you have won that TT if you hadn’t punctured?
Alex Rasmussen: I punctured in the last kilometre; there were six corners so it was a pretty technical finish to ride on a flat tyre. I caught Michael Morkov (Saxo Bank) with three kilometres to go and he re-passed me with 200 metres to go. It’s hard to say if I would have won, but it would have been close.
VN: It was a great effort at the end of a race as tough as that…
AR: As the race went on my recovery improved and by the end I was recovering really well. Everyone was tired for that stage; we all started with pain in our legs.
VN: It was your first Grand Tour…was it what you expected?
AR: I didn’t know what to expect; I suffered a lot early in the race, I didn’t have the legs – I was one of the first to get dropped in the hills but as the race went on I got better and better.
VN: Which was the hardest day?
AR: Etna – from the top of the first ascent to the finish, it was a TTT for me, Renshaw and Cav to beat the time cut. It was absolutely full gas, and I was totally exhausted at the end. Stage 15 was tough, too, 210 kilometres and all that climbing.
VN: What about the time cut aspect?
AR: We have the second DS in the car behind us and he keeps us informed. Etna was the only one where there was a danger of missing the cut, the rest were okay.
VN: Tell us about your role in Cav’s train.
AR: I’m in front of Renshaw, he’s Cav’s final lead out man; it’s a good position for me because I can ride at 65 kph for a kilometre and Renshaw gets good draft from me – he controls it, shouting instructions to me on the run in. It’s simple really, he’ll just say ‘faster!’ or ‘slower!’ Stage 12 where Cav won was a really good stage for us, we got it just right.
VN: What if you’re at 65 and he says ‘faster?’
AR: I go to 70!
VN: Do you practice lead out drills in training?
AR: We did in California but the only way to do it properly is during races; with just three lead out situations in the Giro I gained so much experience. I improved every time.
VN: You had a scary moment in the TTT, didn’t you?
AR: I was looking forward to the TTT, it’s my discipline; but at the half way stage our young German rider, Patrick Gretsch was right on the edge and didn’t count off the riders properly as he came back down the line. He swung in too early, riding into me. I unclipped and bumped the bars with my knee. I didn’t come down but at 65 kph there’s no way you’re getting back on after that.
VN: Did you do TTT drills?
AR: Never, and I never train on the TT bike; you’re not 100% comfortable on a time trial bike but during the race you just take the pain. I do all my training on my road bike.
VN: You have an unusual combination of skills – sprinter and time triallist.
AR: My time trial abilities developed later; I think now that I’m more of a time trial rider than a sprinter – I can still win sprints, but not against the very best guys.
But I think I can win prologues in a Grand Tour – that’s my focus, my goal.
VN: You won the GP Herning on gravel roads. Was the Strade Bianche stage a target?
AR: No, Herning is flat; that wasn’t a stage for me, too hilly – I wasn’t looking forward to it, just a day to get through.
VN: How has your post-race recovery been?
AR: I feel very good, I was tired after the time trial but coming into the end of the race there were no days where it was full gas – there was nothing to race for, you just had to get through them.
It’s different for the GC guys, they have to focus really hard in case there’s a split – there weren’t enough sprint stages to let the GC guys recover.
VN: How’s your weight?
AR: I lost two kilos, but I think I’ve also built a lot of muscle, I’ve lost a lot of fat – all that climbing has done that. I’m really looking forward to my next races.
VN: Max Sciandri once told me that he felt his legs looked different after his first Tour de France?
AR: I was talking to Michael Morkov about that, there’s no doubt about it – you feel different too, able to cope with more pain than you did before. Like I say, I’m looking to use the good form I have in the races which are coming up.
VN: Which are?
AR: I have Philadelphia and then the Ster Elektrotoer, the prologue in that is a big goal for me.
VN: You have to be thinking about the Worlds in Copenhagen?
AR: For sure, it’s very flat, its home ground and it’s an urban course. I’ll ride both the road race and time trial but I think it’s the time trial where I can get a result.
It would have been got to ride against Cancellara in that Giro TT but Millar is a good comparison – he’s not a bad time trial rider, is he?