A green jersey shimmers pale in one of the back rows at the start. No club kit, no flashy sponsor logos; modest and sober in his public image: this is how André Greipel was known as a world-class sprinter on the biggest stages of professional cycling. "30 seconds to go," booms out of the loudspeaker and then they begin, the first German cross-country championships for the current national road coach. Greipel, now 41 years old, is competing in Master Class 2. The rules in cyclocross say that those who have collected the most points in classified races over the course of the season are at the front. This is an immense advantage when it's a wild chase on the tight circuits shortly after the start.
The ex-professional starts from the very back
André Greipel is right at the back. He has only competed in one national league race in the current cyclo-cross season and wants to have one thing above all else on his occasional off-road excursions: Fun. "I raced cyclo-cross regularly in my youth and up to the U23 class and also took part in world championships," he says, remembering those days. However, the former road sprinter's ambition does not seem to have been completely extinguished. At the Masters Cross-Country World Championships in Hamburg at the end of 2023, he finished fifth in the 40 to 44 age group. "When I realised in the World Championship race that third place was no longer within reach, I let it roll out. Hannes Genze and Gerrit Rosenkranz are currently the measure of all things in cross-country in my age group in Germany. At the national league final in Vechta, however, I realised that I'm not that far away from them."
Spontaneous start at the German Championships
This was promptly followed by a spontaneous entry for the Cross-DM in Radevormwald. And the "Gorilla" can still do it. By the end of the first lap, Greipel had already fought his way up to third place and was certain after the end of the race that it would have been enough for more than the bronze medal with a gap of 56 seconds to the winner Hannes Genze. "If I hadn't had to start from the fifth row, I would probably have been even closer to Genze and Rosenkranz," he summarised the race. When asked about his training for the cyclo-cross races, he says dryly: "I only really ride my gravel bike outside in winter and don't train any more." Structured and even specific cross-country training is something the Rostockian, who has since returned to his home town of Hürth, no longer feels like doing.
André Greipel: "Cross-country is part of the basic training in cycling."
In addition to the sheer joy of cyclocross and the occasional showdown with Germany's masters elite, Andre Greipel will focus on one thing above all as a cyclocross rider in the future. "Cyclocross is clearly part of the basic training in cycling. The races and training on the road are becoming more and more intense, so cyclocross is the ideal complement in winter. But what counts most for me is passing on my experience in cyclocross to children and young people. I plan to get more involved in this area in the near future. Everything else, whether and how many cross races I will continue to race, I will only decide on the basis of my gut feeling," he says, giving a brief insight into possible scenarios. After moving to the position of national men's coach in May last year, André Greipel seems to have taken a liking to the role of coach.
