Ski mountaineer at the Giro: Palzer: "I wasn't a professional cyclist"

Stefan Tabeling, dpa

Somehow it is still a dream for Anton Palzer to be on the start line of the Giro d'Italia with stars like Geraint Thomas or Primoz Roglic. Less than three years ago, the Bavarian was still trudging up the mountains on skis, and quite successfully at that.

Palzer achieved many successes as a ski mountaineer, even becoming runner-up in the world championships. Until one day, team boss Ralph Denk from the Bora-hansgrohe racing team approached him with a crazy idea and made a switch to cycling palatable.

The crazy idea became reality. Palzer has long since arrived in the world of cycling and is taking part in the Giro for the first time as a helper in the team led by German hopeful Lennard Kämna. "Send Christopher Froome to a ski race or tell him to run over the Watzmann in under three hours. That won't work in one or two years. That's why I'm super happy with my process," says Palzer, who had to overcome "a lot of obstacles". "When you start in the Champions League with 0.0 per cent cycling experience, it's not easy."

Basics had to be practised

He certainly had the physical prerequisites, but the rest... "I experienced what we practised with him at the beginning: Accepting bottles, putting on a rain jacket in crosswinds, riding hands-free. Those were the basics," recalls Denk, adding: "Talking on the radio, putting seven bottles under his jersey. It was all new territory for him. The fact that he made it here is impressive. It was great cinema."

Denk had seen Palzer's victory at a ski mountaineering World Cup in China in an ARD report in 2017 and subsequently invited the extreme athlete to a training camp. The manager was particularly impressed by the fact that Palzer's maximum oxygen intake on skis was an enormous 92. And the career changer did not disappoint. "Whether the victories will come at some point is like looking into a crystal ball," added Denk.

In addition to Palzer, a number of athletes have already made the switch to cycling - and succeeded. The most prominent example is Roglic, the former ski jumper. Palzer's compatriot Jason Osborne comes from rowing, where he once won the world championship title. He recently competed in his first spring classic at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Different disciplines

Palzer finds it difficult to compare the two sports. "For me, cycling is harder because I learnt to ski. They are different disciplines. Cycling is very tactical, which ski mountaineering is not. Ski mountaineering is definitely more technical," says the 30-year-old.

Two years ago, the Ramsauer had already ridden a three-week tour at the Vuelta. "I was completely inexperienced. I wasn't a professional cyclist. I couldn't help the team much because I had ridden my first bike race five months earlier. It was like throwing a little baby into the water. Swim or go under."

Palzer did not go down and is now expected to help Kämna secure a top ten place in the difficult third week of the Giro. He is familiar with the terrain. "When I think of the 19th stage, I once won the Three Peaks race, which is one of the biggest mountain races. Now I'm cycling up there," says Palzer, who is putting his own ambitions on the back burner. And when he reaches Rome, we can talk about the future, because his contract is coming to an end. But team boss Denk gives him hope: "I don't have any arguments yet that I won't continue."

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