Interview Thomas Dreßen: Ötztaler Cycling Marathon in his sights: "I want to do well"

TOUR: Your sporting life was characterised by skiing downhill as quickly as possible. Now you seem to have taken a liking to steep climbs on a racing bike and want to take part in the Ötztal Cycle Marathon. Isn't that quite a contrast?

Thomas Dreßen: Cycling has always played a big role in my life. My father regularly took me and my brother on bike tours from an early age. And even as a ski racer, I did a lot of basic and interval training on my racing bike or ergometer in the summer. For skiing, it was more of a means to an end - now it has grown into a great passion. When I come back from bike training, my wife always says to me that you can literally feel how good it does me.

TOUR: What exactly does this passion mean to you?

Thomas Dreßen: I simply enjoy the freedom. I usually go cycling alone - without headphones and without distractions. When I can experience nature, hear the birds and smell the trees, I can let my mind wander. And lately, of course, my thoughts have been centred on the Ötztaler. How will it be for me? Will I make it through okay? And how hard will it be to get over the Timmelsjoch in the end?

TOUR: When did you have the idea to ride the Ötztaler, one of the toughest road bike marathons ever?

Thomas Dreßen: For quite a long time, actually. Probably like every racing cyclist, I always thought: Ride the Ötztaler once in my life - that would be it. But after I had to end my active career last winter, the idea became more and more concrete.

TOUR: When you say you had to end your career, was the decision taken away from you?

Thomas Dreßen: In a way, yes. My goal was actually to ride at the top of the world once again. But the season was messed up right from the start. After the many race cancellations at the beginning, a viral infection put me out of action. And during training I suddenly felt a stitch in my knee, which made me realise straight away that this was a more serious problem.

TOUR: Nevertheless, you still raced afterwards.

Thomas Dreßen: Yes, but my freedom of movement was extremely limited and I could no longer feel my foot in my ski boots. The MRI also showed that two of the four cartilage defects I had operated on had broken open again. The doctors did say that they could fix it, but only for a limited period of perhaps one or two years - and above all with the risk that I would have permanent restrictions afterwards, including in everyday life.

TOUR: A risk that was too great for you?

Thomas Dreßen: Definitely! Despite my dedication to skiing, it was always important to me that I could raise my children actively, do lots of sport with my family and be outdoors as much as possible.

TOUR: Wasn't it difficult for you to end your career like this?

Thomas Dreßen: Fortunately, I had a very emotional farewell with my last downhill in Kitzbühel, where I was able to soak up every moment. Winning the Streif has been my dream since I was a little kid, and I fulfilled it in 2018. The end of the race in January closed a chapter in my life. Even though it wasn't easy, in retrospect it turned out to be the right decision. What we do is tough racing, which only has a limited connection with my idea of skiing. For me, skiing means being at the top of the mountain and having as much fun as possible on the way back down. And I'm looking forward to being able to enjoy it again next winter.

After all these years as a competitive athlete, I no longer feel like having a training plan. - Thomas Dreßen

TOUR: And then you started preparing for the Ötztaler straight after Kitzbühel ...

Thomas Dreßen: I would have liked that. But like so many other professional athletes who end their career, I first fell into a huge hole.

TOUR: What effect did that have?

Thomas Dreßen: For the first time in my life, I had no task, no structure. The only thing I wanted was to spend time with my wife and daughter. But around the beginning of March, my desire for sport returned. I realised that I had finished with competitive sport, but not with sport itself. And I had actually already made the decision to ride the Ötztaler.

TOUR: So has road cycling helped you to get structure back into your everyday life?

Thomas Dreßen: Somehow, yes. Although, of course, I'm still in a situation where I have a lot of time. But I enjoy being able to do what I feel like doing. And fortunately, I'm very keen on road cycling at the moment.

TOUR: Which has already led to you celebrating your first 200 in your life on Instagram.

Thomas Dreßen: I just wanted to try out how it feels. There are a few more kilometres on the Ötztaler. But my laps are usually 70 to 120 kilometres long and have 1000 to 2500 metres of altitude.

TOUR: Do you train by feel or do you have a detailed training plan?

Thomas Dreßen: After all these years as a competitive athlete, I no longer feel like having a training plan. But of course I know how to build up endurance training sensibly: with a lot of basic training at the beginning of the season and targeted peak loads.

TOUR: What does that mean for you in concrete terms?

Thomas Dreßen: After all my work with fitness coaches, I know how important it is to know your areas and to train in those areas. That's why I always have my lactate meter with me when I'm training on my road bike. And I also have a power meter on my road bike. My endurance training is therefore watt and lactate-controlled, just like before. The difference is that I no longer do intervals on the ergometer to get as much out of each training session as possible, but go out on my road bike and listen to how my body feels. When I feel like it, I go full throttle. And when I need a rest, I take it a little easier. What my lap looks like, how long I ride, how many hills I include and how fast I ride up them - that's no longer dictated by training plans.

TOUR: Despite your relaxed attitude, it still sounds like you have a certain ambition.

Thomas Dreßen: If I want to ride the Ötztaler, then for me it also means that I want to do it well. Whether it's nine, ten or eleven hours in the end - I want to have the feeling that I've achieved the maximum possible performance. And I also want to be exhausted when I reach the finish line, but of course I also want to have as much fun as possible.

TOUR: Do you really think you'll have fun if you have to ride another 30 kilometres up the Timmelsjoch after almost 200 kilometres?

Thomas Dreßen: It's crazy how many people have asked me about it since they realised that I wanted to ride the Ötztaler. Many have told me how much they have already suffered. I'm already aware that it's going to be tough. But I definitely want to ride the route before the race. I don't know yet whether I'll do it in one day. The difficulty for me is also my weight. I've lost around eight kilos since I stopped racing, but I still weigh 90 kilos. I definitely find it harder to get up the hills than Pogacar. And I'm much more defensive going downhill on a racing bike than on skis.

TOUR: The last descent from the Timmelsjoch and the finish in Sölden is one of the most emotional things you can experience on a bike for amateur athletes. How will you feel when you cross the finish line? Will it play a role that you will be in the place where nine people - including your father - died in a cable car accident in 2005?

Thomas Dreßen: Of course, I'm already thinking about what it would be like if I could ride the Ötztaler together with my father. He is still a role model for me. He was also a professional athlete and always remained active after his career. And I find myself in a similar situation. The accident, for which nobody was to blame, has of course changed our lives dramatically. My parents ran a grocery shop in Mittenwald, which took up a lot of their time. And yet they always found the time to go out into nature with my brother and me. And of course, the accident made me realise how life can change abruptly from one moment to the next.

I definitely get up the mountains worse than Pogacar. And downhill, I'm much more defensive on a racing bike than on skis. - Thomas Dreßen

TOUR: How do you put this awareness into practice in everyday life?

Thomas Dreßen: I want to get the most out of every day for myself. I've always been indifferent to what the public thinks of me. What's important to me is my family, my friends and my close environment. In relation to my daughter, this means that we want to set an example for her of what is important to us. My wife and I don't want her to think about watching TV when she remembers her childhood.

TOUR: Aren't you worried that you'll quickly return to your everyday working life?

Thomas Dreßen: Of course, there's a good chance that I'll be travelling more again. But I definitely won't lose my clear focus on the family.

TOUR: Do you already have concrete plans?

Thomas Dreßen: I'm currently doing my C training licence without knowing exactly what will happen afterwards. And I'm working with my partners, for example in the product development of eyewear. There are lots of exciting options, but I'm taking a relatively relaxed approach at the moment.

TOUR: One of your partners is the municipality of Sölden. Is that also a reason for you to ride the Ötztaler?

Thomas Dreßen: Not at all. The Ötztaler is simply a myth, like the New York Marathon for runners. It may be easier for me to get a starting place, but I still don't want any special treatment. Like every participant, I want to experience the Ötztaler consciously. From the start number distribution to the award ceremony. The partnership with Sölden came about over ten years ago, completely independently of the accident with my father. Maybe that's why so many close friendships have developed.

TOUR: When you start in Sölden, do you know that the amateur athletes you meet there go to incredible lengths to fulfil their dream of the Ötztaler?

Thomas Dreßen: Definitely! It's crazy how many people apply for it every year and often have to wait for years to get a starting place. People who work hard and still find the time to prepare consistently. I have the greatest respect for that. Sport thrives on amateur and amateur athletes and their passion. Without them, there would be no competitive sport.

TOUR: And what comes after the Ötztaler for you?

Thomas Dreßen: I've never done a bike race in my life. But if I enjoy it and am happy with my performance, then I can imagine doing other marathons. Or simply going to Mallorca in spring or autumn to train like all racing cyclists. But if I really enjoy the Ötztaler, then I may well say: I want to do this every year in future.

About Thomas Dreßen

Thomas Dreßen, born in 1993, is the most successful downhill skier in the history of the German Ski Association (DSV). His success in the Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbühel in 2018 was followed by four more downhill World Cup victories. However, his career was repeatedly affected by physical problems following a serious fall and cruciate ligament rupture in Beaver Creek in December 2018. Although he had the ambition to be able to attack at the top again in the winter of 2023/2024, his knee surgery caused more and more problems, which is why Dreßen decided to end his career. He competed in his last downhill race on the "Streif" in Kitzbühel, the venue of his greatest triumph - exactly six years to the day. Dreßen, born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, married and father of a daughter, discovered his passion for road cycling alongside skiing in his youth - and began preparing for the Ötztal Cycle Marathon after the end of his career as a professional athlete.