The interview was conducted by Tom Mustroph
TOUR: Lennard Kämna, how do you feel as a stage winner in all Grand Tours?
Lennard Kämna: I am of course extremely pleased that it worked out. And that is definitely a great success for me. So I'm more than happy.
TOUR: The stage success leads directly to the crucial question: Wouldn't you rather go back to the profile of a stage hunter - or, after ninth place at the Giro this year, ride for the overall classification again next year?
Lennard Kämna: I can imagine doing both. I would like to try for the general classification again. I think a lot of things didn't go perfectly at the Giro d'Italia. I wasn't really able to show what I would have liked to. I think that ninth place was more than solid for the first attempt and I have nothing to be ashamed of. That's why I'm already assuming that I'll give it another go.
TOUR: You were also ill in the third week of the Giro?
Lennard Kämna: Yes, I had a cold and you could just tell, also in terms of performance. I didn't have 100 per cent in the tank and then it's not possible to drive really hard.
TOUR: Does it also play a role for you not to have to reproach yourself at the end of your career for not having tried everything?
Lennard Kämna: No, that's not the point at all. Of course I want to find out my performance limits somehow, of course. And I want to see where I can get to. But I don't have this feeling that I absolutely have to try something because otherwise I would regret it forever. I don't think I have that anymore. No.
TOUR: Would the different objectives also have an impact on your preparation for next season? Or is it ultimately only the task in the race that makes the difference?
Lennard Kämna: You have to be much fitter for a good position in the overall classification than for breakaway groups. I wasn't in the same form at the Vuelta as I was at the Giro, even if the results look different on paper. If you want to have a good overall classification, you have to go the extra mile.
TOUR: Your team-mate Aleksandr Vlasov describes your sense of the moment as an outstanding quality, i.e. your ability to catch the right moment in the race for an attack. Would you describe this as your greatest strength yourself?
Lennard Kämna: I think I have a certain feeling for somehow getting away in groups or making a decisive move. That's definitely one of my strengths.
TOUR: We are almost at the end of the season. When you look back on the year, are you satisfied, half-satisfied or even happy?
Lennard Kämna: I would say it's been a solid, good season so far. I'm happy to have been in good form from start to finish. I would have liked a few better results at some points. But I think I've ridden very well and always had a consistently good level.
