TOUR Liane, in front of your parents' house on Lake Constance there is a wooden shed decorated with all kinds of cycling memorabilia. It looks as if you grew up in the clubhouse of your club RSV Seerose Friedrichshafen?
LIPPERT (laughs) It almost looks like that, right. My father has all sorts of things hanging up there, a kind of trophy collection with badges, jerseys and so on. Officially, we're not the clubhouse. But - except in times of corona - it really is almost like that, partly because my father is a youth coach: people often meet up with us for rides or for a beer with their club mates in the garden.
How important was the club on your way into the professional peloton?
Very important. When I was eight years old, the RSV organised a mountain bike race - my father said I should take part. I did it on my city bike. I came last, but I still had fun because the people were so nice and I got a prize. My first racing bike was an ancient Peugeot steel bike with gears. It was too big for me, but that didn't matter. From then on, I got on my bike every day.
Some of you still live with your parents. Are you a kind of crowd-puller at the club outings?
When I go on a ride, I notice that some people want to take photos with me or like to ask questions. That's really nice. Many of them were with me in my childhood. It's great that I can tell them something now, just as they took time for me back then and taught me everything. The club really is like my extended family.
Your partner Niklas Märkl rides as a professional for the DSM World Tour team. How does it work with you two - like a long-distance relationship?
We don't see each other every day, but rather in blocks - sometimes not for a month. But when we do see each other, we spend a lot of time together - not just for a weekend like in long-distance relationships. When we're both not racing and I'm with him or he's with me, we train together a lot and spend hours together that other couples don't have. I think I would have less time together with a partner who isn't a professional.
How much do you benefit from each other as a couple in terms of sport?
Of course, I also benefit from this in sporting terms. Training with him and his team-mates is a bit faster and a tough workout for me. They always push me over the waves, where I would otherwise put on the small blade. I think that definitely makes me better. He's also very good at analysing training and helps me to understand what I've done in training.
Do you repair the bikes in return?
(laughs) No, he's the one who knows his stuff better. So far, he's been able to fix every problem on my bike. Sure, I can change a tube or brake pads myself. I think I'm fitter than many other professional cyclists when it comes to technology. But I've never adjusted my gears myself - even though I know which screws to turn.
You live partly with your partner in the team's accommodation in Sittard in the Netherlands. Women's cycling is very important there. What is missing in Germany in comparison?
Cycling needs to be given a higher profile again. And we women in particular need more live broadcasts, ideally on the first channel like the Tour de France. That would attract more sponsors and races could be organised again. The Tour of Thuringia is great, but it would be important to have a World Tour race in Germany too, so that people can see how exciting our sport is when all the top female riders are there.
In Dutch cycling, the women benefit from the great national competition. You were born in 1998 - you had strong rivals in Germany as a youngster, such as Christa Riffel and Franziska Brauße, who both went on to become professionals. How important was that?
Very important. We pushed each other, but we also had a good time together in the national team. It was also good for me because I wasn't strong tactically and therefore often lost, but I was able to learn from them.
"The track just isn't my thing. Road racing is more versatile - plus, for me, cycling is about being outdoors."
You officially turned professional in 2017 - before the introduction of the minimum wage for women. Were you really able to make a living from sport straight away?
Not at first. But in the first year, I was in the Bundeswehr's sports promotion group. Then the German Cycling Federation changed its concept and track cycling became compulsory (in order to get a job in the Bundeswehr, editor's note). I didn't want to go on the track - it's just not my thing. But because I was doing well on the road, Sunweb wanted to keep me. I got a better contract.
Is track cycling too boring for you?
It's also a great sport. I have a lot of friends who ride the track - my most important training partner here at home, Laura Süßemilch, for example. But the track is not my thing. I much prefer road racing because it's more varied. Also, for me, cycling is being outside, in the open air! When you live on Lake Constance, you have to make the most of it.
You've been riding for the same team since you turned pro - only the sponsor has changed. What is your relationship like with your team-mates?
I actually get on with everyone. I get on particularly well with Coryn Rivera because we're similar and have the same sense of humour. I laugh the most with her. She has that Californian relaxed attitude and doesn't let herself get stressed. I don't tend to get flustered either - that's why we're a good match. In the beginning, I tended to avoid her because my English wasn't that good yet.
You have now established yourself among the pros. You benefit above all from your punch, which helps you in attacks - is that ideal for many routes in women's cycling?
Yes, you can win most races here with this quality. Small mountain finishes of one to two kilometres are perfect for me because my wattage values over three, four or five minutes are pretty good. My best minute was when I attacked to win the Cadel Evans Road Race in Australia last year with 530 watts. I weighed 54 kilograms then. In 2020, I also got better on longer climbs, but my speciality is the more explosive stuff - like the hill classics.
In women's cycling, the punch is particularly promising because there are fewer routes in the high mountains for women than for men. Is that a big difference?
Yes, that's one reason why men's races are more predictable - but not the only reason. In men's races, if someone gets out in front in flatter races, they calculate everything precisely and catch them again if they want to. With us, it's more likely to get away with attacks because the races aren't as controlled and because the performance gap is greater.
Her competition weight of 54 to 55 kilograms at 1.68 metres tall sounds like a healthy ratio ...
Yes, I think that's good and healthy for me - my feel-good weight. Of course, if I want to be a pure climber and be at the front on Monte Zoncolan, I still need to lose some weight. But I think it's good to see that a rider like Elisa Longo Borghini, who isn't just skin and bones either, can keep up with the front on the mountain. That's why I don't want to change much in that respect.
Weight determines performance in cycling - especially on long hills. This is precisely why anorexia and eating disorders are a problem - for both men and women. Is this an issue among female racers?
In a team, yes. Especially when we see something conspicuous. We have nutritionists and talk to experts. The men in the World Tour team are told exactly what they need to eat every day based on their training and race data. Of course, you are always allowed to eat more! We are also introducing this system for us women this year. But I've never been pressurised to lose weight. And if a female racer wants to lose weight, she is advised not to do it too quickly so as not to lose muscle.
Long-time team boss Thomas Campana once mooted the idea of introducing a BMI rule - a kind of minimum weight in relation to height. Anyone who falls below this should receive a protection ban. What do you think?
There should be compulsory pre-season medical checks for everyone, with independent doctors making sure that everyone is healthy, that a body can last the season in all weathers. Whether a minimum BMI would work fairly, I don't know.
Speaking of weight: Is a good overall position in a mountainous stage race like the Giro a goal for you? You were thirteenth in 2020 - despite technical problems.
I would have to become a pure mountain biker, which I don't want to do. So I don't think so. Other tours like the Women's Tour in England certainly suit me and could become a goal - if there is no time trial involved. Because I'm lacking something there, especially in terms of aerodynamics, but also in terms of riding technique on the time trial bike.
What do you actually like so much about the Ardennes Classics - Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège?
I think it's the races that are the most exciting for spectators too. There are constant ups and downs, a lot can happen - and the area is simply beautiful: lots of forest, beautiful nature, great for training.
And you have a chance of winning there. Where does your ambition come from?
I can't say for sure. Nobody in my family was a competitive athlete. But I just want to get better so that I can win. That's what drives me every day. Winning is the biggest motivator for me.
Profile Liane Lippert
Nationality German
Born 13 January 1998 in Friedrichshafen
Size 1.68 metres Weight 55 kilogrammes
Place of residence Friedrichshafen
Marital status in a relationship with Niklas Märkl (professional cyclist with Team DSM)
Teams Sunweb/DSM (since 2017)
Important successes:
- 2016 Junior classification Thüringen-Rundfahrt, Junior European Road Champion
- 2018 German Road Champion, Belgium-Rdf, young rider classification Thüringen-Rundfahrt
- 2020 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, junior classification Women's World Tour, World Championship fifth road, second Tour Down Under
- 2021 German runner-up in the road race
Internet www.instagram.com/liane_lippert
