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Rising Star: Gerolsteiner's Markus Fothen is showing great promise in this Giro
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When 23-year-old Markus Fothen returns home to his parents' farm near the Dutch-German border after the Giro d'Italia, the Gerolsteiner rider will be a different man.
Before the Giro, which marked his grand-tour debut, he was a young, albeit very talented rider trying to get used to the hardships of pro racing. But if he holds onto his 12th-place spot in Milan, he will have to live with the expectation of becoming the next big thing in German cycling, the idol of German fans in the era after Erik Zabel and Jan Ullrich.
His greatest moments during this Giro, Fothen says, came during the big mountain stages when none of the big names were able to drop him. He was right up there with Ivan Basso, Paolo Savoldelli, Danilo Di Luca and Gilberto Simoni, steaming up the long climbs of the Stelvio and the Sella.
“It was amazing," he said, “I was never in trouble. My legs were great until the very end.”
And it looks like they will stay that that way all the way to Milan – despite a cold, Fothen came in 11th in Friday’s time trial, losing only a minute and 36 seconds to CSC's Basso.
It is exactly this type of experience that Gerolsteiner manager Hans Holczer wants his young riders to have.
“If they have the potential, we want them to be able to experience it," Holczer says.
Holczer’s colleague, 13-time Tour de France finisher Udo Bölts, agrees: “As a young pro, you have to have success here and there. Otherwise you lose the love of what you do.”
It is this philosophy that distinguishes Gerolsteiner from its national rival, T-Mobile. T-Mobile recruits young German riders but rarely gives them a chance to win a race. They grow discouraged with the drudgery of domestique life and disenchanted with the sport.
David Kopp and Stefan Schumacher, for example, were the best under-23 riders of their age group. Yet they all but disappeared from sight while racing for T-Mobile, rarely even finishing a race. It was only after leaving T-Mobile that they resurfaced with impressive performances, often against the same T-Mobile riders they formerly supported.
Fothen is the second young rider who excels at Gerolsteiner. Last year Fabian Wegmann had his breakthrough performance at the Giro, winning the green climber's jersey. Before, Wegmann was perhaps the most important helper of Davide Rebellin when Rebellin won his spring triple in the Ardennes.
Because Gerolsteiner gives young riders a chance, it has become more popular by far among young Germans than T-Mobile.
“I had an offer from T-Mobile, after I won the U23 time trial world championship in 2003," Markus Fothen said. “And I would have made a lot more money.”
But Fothen declined in favor of an offer he’d already received from Gerolsteiner. And as this year’s Giro shows, it turned out to be a good decision.
Holczer's strategy is to develop young German talent. Gerolsteiner's manager has never gone after big-name stars - that would change the structure of his team, marked by a family atmosphere and flat hierarchies.
When Ullrich was available in 2003, Holczer declined to join in the general courtship, and neither will he go after Zabel when his contract with T-Mobile runs out. His biggest names are Rebellin and American Levi Leipheimer - world-class riders to be sure, but also men that are unassuming and modest.
Holczer’s long-term goal is to develop a home-grown star, and with Fothen and Wegmann, Holczer has two viable candidates. If indeed they break through to the very top, it will be no coincidence. German U23 national coach Peter Weibel says that Holczer is the only ProTour directeur he sees at U23 races looking at the riders and talking to them.
Consequently, Holczer had spotted Fothen long before he won the U23 world championship in Hamilton and offered him a contract. By the time T-Mobile came around, Fothen was already off the market.
Based on his Giro success Fothen has also been selected for Gerolsteiner's Tour de France roster. Of course, in France he will be relegated to a supporting role for Leipheimer and Totschnig:
“He’ll be a great help in the team time trial," Holczer said. But Fothen is going to France primarily for a taste of what racing is like in the most competitive of pro bike races.
“We won’t blame him if he drops out after 10 or 12 stages," Holczer says.
There is no rush for Markus Fothen. After all, it’s only his second season as a pro. And the post-Ullrich era – Fothen’s era – hasn’t even begun yet.
