Interview with former pro Bernhard Eisel: "Sport used to be much easier for us"

The interview was conducted by Tim Farin.

TOUR: Mr Eisel, you are a commentator for Eurosport-GCN and sports director at Bora-Hansgrohe. Which role was more demanding for you last season?

Bernhard Eisel: Both are difficult, but it is definitely that of the sporting director. This job has become extremely demanding in modern cycling. In the past, you used to drive the car from A to B for fun and speak into the microphone. That's definitely a thing of the past. You have to work really hard, from the preparation of the individual stage, which means up to three hours every day, to the job in the car with spontaneous reactions to really action-packed races and the debriefing.

TOUR: Does your job as a commentator help you with this?

Bernhard Eisel: Of course. When I commentate, I also have to familiarise myself with the routes and the competition. That in turn helps me to prepare for the other role. In order to make sense of the race as a commentator, I also need to know the exact conditions. That's how you recognise who is really strong on the mountain and who is technically capable of finding the important positions. Of course, I can see exactly what's happening much better on TV than in the car. I think TV viewers see ten times more in the race than sports directors.

TOUR: From the outside, a lot of things look simple. Does it feel different on the inside?

Bernhard Eisel: When I commentate on a race on TV, it sometimes looks to me like a computer game, as if different teams are starting clear actions with a clear overview. The fact is that in the convoy, the sporting directors sit two by two in the cars, listening to something on the radio that is often hard to understand. Then they puzzle with the mechanic in the back seat about what might be meant. They may also have a few distorted images on a tablet in the car. And then an announcement is made to the team. It's not always like that, but you have to deal with a lot of chaos and improvisation. Of course, it pays off if you've done your homework well in the preparatory work.

TOUR: Looking back on the 2023 season, what particularly surprised you?

Bernhard Eisel: I find it remarkable how professional the sport has become. It's as if everyone now rides for the former Team Sky that I was with back then. Every team operates with fixed plans. There are hardly any unimportant attacks for television any more. The sport has become so tight that something can happen every day and meticulousness pays off. This degree of professionalism has grown enormously in recent times, and is equally evident in very mature, young riders and in very fit veterans.

TOUR: So there is more competition?

Bernhard Eisel: It may look as if the season is always dominated by the same ten or so names, but something has changed behind them. The other teams are looking for every opportunity. That makes the races more difficult. You also see the best riders in much greater concentration at the big races - no longer just at the Tour. Let's look at the Vuelta: There were only two men missing, the rest of the elite were at the start. And that also applies to the classics. We're seeing more and more people maintaining their top form for eight months or more.

TOUR: You talk about competition. But 2023 was the year in which Jumbo-Visma outshone everything with three Tour victories. Isn't that stupid: where it really matters, the same people always win?

Bernhard Eisel: Yes, that was dominance, and the other teams are nibbling away at it. It was no different with Ineos. I don't think we should draw the wrong conclusions from that. The others will ask themselves what they can do. Where is the next talent with whom they can win something in the tours? If you work professionally, you don't give up after a season like this. On the contrary. Primoz Roglic comes to Bora-Hansgrohe because he sees a well-functioning team and a basis for achieving great goals once again. This is how the competition reacts.

TOUR: So you don't see the dominance inevitably continuing?

Bernhard Eisel: I think it's like in all sports. There are always dominant teams. After Ineos, Jumbo brought the right people together and turned the right screws. And then suddenly there are problems with the sponsor and everything is jeopardised. That makes cycling very vulnerable and is still very surprising to me today; an entire team can go downhill with one sponsor. No team boss can control that.

TOUR: You recently said that Tadej Pogacar was the most impressive rider of the season for you. Why him?

Bernhard Eisel: Tadej represents this new cycling sport, but he is not the only one. Our new star, Primoz Roglic, is certainly one of them. These are guys who face every race with winning ambitions and full commitment. Tadej has this lightness. There's nothing robotic about him. He attacks when he thinks it's right. And if he loses, he loses. That's just part of it.

TOUR: A few years ago, a Tour de France favourite would not have ridden to victory in the Tour of Flanders.

Bernhard Eisel: He can do that today because the races have generally become more difficult. Over the past few seasons, you could see how the races have become tougher. There is hardly a tepid start. When a rider like Tadej Pogacar gets involved, the field is already tidy. This makes it more attractive for these calibres to show their strengths in the classics. Look at the tours: there are hardly any boring stages. From my point of view, the strain on the riders has increased by 100 per cent, not only physically but also mentally. That's why I can understand why there are always points where the riders call for protests. It just builds up a bit.

TOUR: Is there a point where you also say: "That is no longer possible"?

Bernhard Eisel: The sport thrives on these intense images that are constantly being created. Sure, there are hardly any descents that are simply rolled. But it's difficult to simply say that, to want to limit it. Where should you start? I think the teams in particular should have an eye on how far they can go with their riders. At the end of the day, the drivers are their capital and if you put them in dangerous situations too much, it's more of a risk than an investment in the future.

TOUR: If the sport is so intense, isn't there also a danger that it burns people out?

Bernhard Eisel: I don't believe that at all. There are more track risks and weather risks, okay. But apart from that, everything is now extremely well controlled: the nutrition, the medical examinations, all the measuring devices show exactly what riders can do and how they are doing. This has made it possible for young riders to start as professional cyclists straight from the juniors. That didn't used to be the case because there was a lack of expertise and many things took longer. You used to hear much more often that teams were burning their riders.

TOUR: 2023 led Netflix The documentary about the Tour de France introduced a mass audience to cycling. Did you sense more interest as a result?

Bernhard Eisel: I've noticed that in my circle of friends and acquaintances. Suddenly someone says: "I can't believe what you've done. These are people I've never talked to about my sport. This series has shown people what goes on in the races, it has taken them right into the heart of our sport. In my opinion, that was an incredible boost, also for the athletes themselves. It also has something to do with appreciation, how their performance is conveyed to the outside world. Netflix has conveyed a lot of what goes on in the background. I am optimistic that this will attract a wider audience.

TOUR: In Germany, we had a huge public boom until 2006. It collapsed because of the doping swamp. Now the question still arises as to whether doubts need to be cast. What is your stance?

The journalists are getting it wrong. We can talk about doping. But we don't have to.

Bernhard Eisel: It's quite simple for me. I trust my boys, I know what they're doing and I have no concerns. When I see that they are riding at the same level as the others, then I have no concerns about them either. I think the teams and the world federation have used the opportunity to clean up the sport. I think the discussion is a bit of a problem for the German-speaking public, who keep coming back to the subject. In the end, it's also laziness, because every interview is led in that direction. What annoys me is the following sentence: "We have to talk about it." The journalist has got it wrong. We can talk about doping, but we don't have to. I can ask the counter-question: "When was the last doping case at the Tour de France?" Then there is no answer. The last case there was nine years ago.

TOUR: Nevertheless, there is this reporting. The "Süddeutsche Zeitung" for example headlined "Faster than the superdopers". One wonders why Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar and many others get to the high passes faster than proven dopers used to.

Bernhard Eisel: This discussion can go on and on. There are also counter-arguments: the material is better, the training is better, in the end you have human machines here. More TV broadcasts also mean more motorbikes, which also means more slipstreaming. Little things come together. But the most important thing is that the races start much earlier. When people attack from kilometre zero, the speeds increase.

TOUR: Are you jealous that you can't start again as a professional?

Bernhard Eisel: Absolutely not. I wouldn't stand a chance today. I'm glad that, as a sports enthusiast, I have another part in it and can still help shape it somewhere. I think sport used to be much easier for us. I want to be honest: We had a great time.

TOUR: That sounds strange, because it's always been said how tough this sport is.

Bernhard Eisel: We lied to ourselves when we used to say that we had trained hard. Classification riders today, but not only them, spend eight to twelve weeks a year isolated in altitude training. Most of them are hardly ever at home, constantly giving their all in this tight competition to even get another contract. I've experienced it differently, more with ease. And when the weather wasn't so good, I just did a little less or nothing at all on the bike.

TOUR: If you could reform the sport of cycling, what would you like to initiate?

Bernhard Eisel: I would like to see cycling become more visible in winter. That would be possible with a draft system like the one that exists in US sports. In short, it's about distributing the young professionals among the teams and creating more balance. In cycling, it could work like this: The 20 best managers and 20 elected journalists draw up a ranking list of young riders seeking professional contracts. The teams can then select new riders from this ranking. To support the competition, lower-ranked teams would go first in each selection round. They would have earlier access to the higher-ranked talents than the top teams. However, they could also sell them on and receive financial compensation. That could equalise opportunities. On the other hand, I don't think much of salary or budget limits, I have too much of a driver's point of view. And why should managers be penalised for doing a very good job?

TOUR: Let's take a look ahead. If you could write the story for 2024 in advance, what would it say?

Bernhard Eisel: Jumbo's dominance will remain to some extent. But I expect a serious fight to knock this team off the throne. If we see Primoz Roglic at Bora-Hansgrohe, we can expect to see another rival for Vingegaard at the Tour de France. From my point of view, the competition will intensify once again. There are ten or twelve people who can really win these big races. And you never know what will happen. Will Pogacar break his hand again like he did this year at Liège-Bastogne-Liège - and be set back as a result? Or will he go it alone in the sprint? I experience fascinating things almost every day. When I see how well these guys ride their bikes, I can only look forward to the 2024 season.

About Bernhard Eisel

Bernhard "Bernie" Eisel was born on 17 February 1981 in Voitsberg, Styria (Austria). He was a professional racing cyclist for almost 20 years before ending his career at the beginning of 2020. Almost two years earlier, he had crashed during the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race, weeks later he suffered a brain haemorrhage as a result of this accident and underwent emergency surgery. He has been commentating for Eurosport/Global Cycling Network since 2020 and has also been supporting Team Bora-Hansgrohe as sporting director since 2022.

During his almost two decades in the sport, Eisel excelled as a sprinter, preparer, classics rider and road captain. He completed 19 Grands Tours and was part of Bradley Wiggins' team when he won the Tour in 2012. In his youth, Eisel won ten Austrian titles in junior classes and finished fifth at the 1999 Junior World Championships in Italy. He turned professional with Mapei (2001 to 2002), then switched to FDJ (2003 to 2006). He remained with T-Mobile and its successor teams (Columbia, Columbia-HTC, HTC-High Road) until the end of 2011 and grew into the most important rider for Mark Cavendish, with whom he switched to Sky for the 2012 season and to Dimension Data in 2016. His biggest victory came in 2010 at Gent-Wevelgem. Eisel is married and has three children.