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From www.cyclingnews.com;
An interview with Magnus Bäckstedt, April 10, 2004 Roubaix
without doubt! After his second placing at Gent-Wevelgem on
Wednesday, Alessio's Magnus Bäckstedt is a favourite for Paris-
Roubaix. He has the form, his team is behind him, and most
importantly he has the attitude. Cobbles and mud are just
"plain fun" he tells Gabriella Ekstrom.
Enjoying Spring sunshine Photo: © Alessio Although
frequently seen in the results this year, Alessio rider
Magnus Bäckstedt has not been all pleased with his spring,
until now that is. A brilliant second place at Gent-
Wevelgem, where he was beaten only by big local favourite
Tom Boonen, proved his form.
"I have been chasing my form all spring it seems," says
Magnus Bäckstedt when he talks to Cyclingnews from his hotel
in Harelbeke. "I have been sick quite a lot this spring. At
one time, I only got four hours of training into a two week
period, because of illness," he explains.
"It was very cold in the morning of Gent-Wevelgem, and for
the first 120 kilometres, I didn't feel too good. I was kind
of cold, and finally thought I should go to the front and
warm myself up with an attack or two. I needed to get my
blood circulation going. With about 70 kilometres to go, I
got away with Jo Planckaert, Peter Farazijn and Nick Nuyens.
Shortly after, we were joined by a bigger group ad we all
kept riding. I stayed close to the front over the climbs,
and believe it or not, but my legs were feeling good on the
climbs. Bit unusual that."
"As we approached Wevelgem I thought about attacking. That's
what I wanted to do, but the pace was very high, and we had
a tail wind. On top of that, Quick.Step had six riders in
the group, so I knew it was impossible to get away. Having
realised that, I decided to go for the sprint instead, and
in that event, there was only one wheel to choose, Boonen's.
It was a bit funny because the whole group really slowed
down coming in to the final stretch, and I decided that I
better go early than be left too late. I wanted to be able
to take advantage of my full sprint. I took off with 300m to
go, and it proved to be almost successful," Magnus says with
the weight on the word almost.
So in a situation like this, what sort of feeling takes
over? Is it disappointment over being first loser, or is it
relief over having achieved a good result?
"For me I must say it was a relief. I was happy. I had been
chasing after the good form the other riders already had for
a long time. Now at least I had been moving forward over
each climb during the course, instead of slipping further
back as each climb proceeded. It proves my form is here."
Hitting the dirt at GP SATS in 2003 Photo: © Frank Rud
Jensen The waiting for Roubaix takes place in Harelbeke, in
a hotel the riders are getting used to.
"We stay at the same place during the 'classic' part of the
spring season. We came here after Dwars door Vlaanderen-
Waregem. It makes things a lot easier when we don't have to
move around. The time between the races is mostly spent
lying on bed, trying to recover as much as possible and stay
fresh and relaxed until the next race. Today, the day after
Gent-Wevelgem, we rode for one and a half hours, because we
got a lot of rain over us. Normally a ride would last for
eighty or ninety kilometres. We're basically eating and
sleeping with some riding included."
Riding on the pavé in northern France and in Belgium has
always been a preference for the tall, blond Swede, and he's
not scared of the mess and mud either.
"I have always liked these races. I like riding on pavé. I
guess if you're good at something, it's easy to like it.
It's true I don't mind the bad weather either. Especially
not at these races. The worse the road, the worse the
weather, I'd say. It gives me an advantage over those who
doen't like it too. Some give up the minute they pull the
curtains and see the weather. Then there's some riders who
can't physically stand the rain either, they just get too
cold. Luckily, I don't have any problems with that."
Fair enough that your heart has to be in it, but what makes
him such a good pavé rider that he can claim to like cobbles
big as tombstones and ditches deep with mud?
"Oh, I don't know. It could very well be a matter of
attitude in the end. As I said, I do like to race on these
roads, and what is even better, I also like to train on
these roads. I will go out and look for them. Some people
doen't like to do that, they think it's bumpy and shaky, and
that is obviously to their disadvantage. I think it's plain
fun," Magnus says.
With his good form just appearing, how brave is his ambition
on Sunday morning, I'm curious to find out?
Heading for the start at Flanders Photo: © Chris Henry "My
ambition is to win! Every time I head for the start of a
race, my ambition is to win. On a more realistic level,
with a good day without punctures and where I manage to
stay upright on both wheels, I'd like to finish top ten. It
would be good if I could do better, but in order to be
satisfied, I need to have a goal, and for Sunday, top ten
is that goal."
The mystique of Paris-Roubaix resembles no other race, and
just as many other riders who will line up for the start on
Sunday, Magnus has felt it too, even before he started his
own professional career.
"I remember I had a poster of Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle
winning Paris-Roubaix on my wall. It was in the early
nineties and I guess it was a boy's childhood dream. Even
now I still think it is a race like no other. It's a one-of-a-
kind competition where everything from cobblestones to
mother fortune could either work your way or against you."
If you could choose between a world champion title or a win
on Sunday, what would it be?
"I'd rather win on Sunday!" Magnus says without doubt.
Other Cyclingnews interviews Full Paris-Roubaix coverage
An interview with Magnus Bäckstedt, April 10, 2004 Roubaix
without doubt! After his second placing at Gent-Wevelgem on
Wednesday, Alessio's Magnus Bäckstedt is a favourite for Paris-
Roubaix. He has the form, his team is behind him, and most
importantly he has the attitude. Cobbles and mud are just
"plain fun" he tells Gabriella Ekstrom.
Enjoying Spring sunshine Photo: © Alessio Although
frequently seen in the results this year, Alessio rider
Magnus Bäckstedt has not been all pleased with his spring,
until now that is. A brilliant second place at Gent-
Wevelgem, where he was beaten only by big local favourite
Tom Boonen, proved his form.
"I have been chasing my form all spring it seems," says
Magnus Bäckstedt when he talks to Cyclingnews from his hotel
in Harelbeke. "I have been sick quite a lot this spring. At
one time, I only got four hours of training into a two week
period, because of illness," he explains.
"It was very cold in the morning of Gent-Wevelgem, and for
the first 120 kilometres, I didn't feel too good. I was kind
of cold, and finally thought I should go to the front and
warm myself up with an attack or two. I needed to get my
blood circulation going. With about 70 kilometres to go, I
got away with Jo Planckaert, Peter Farazijn and Nick Nuyens.
Shortly after, we were joined by a bigger group ad we all
kept riding. I stayed close to the front over the climbs,
and believe it or not, but my legs were feeling good on the
climbs. Bit unusual that."
"As we approached Wevelgem I thought about attacking. That's
what I wanted to do, but the pace was very high, and we had
a tail wind. On top of that, Quick.Step had six riders in
the group, so I knew it was impossible to get away. Having
realised that, I decided to go for the sprint instead, and
in that event, there was only one wheel to choose, Boonen's.
It was a bit funny because the whole group really slowed
down coming in to the final stretch, and I decided that I
better go early than be left too late. I wanted to be able
to take advantage of my full sprint. I took off with 300m to
go, and it proved to be almost successful," Magnus says with
the weight on the word almost.
So in a situation like this, what sort of feeling takes
over? Is it disappointment over being first loser, or is it
relief over having achieved a good result?
"For me I must say it was a relief. I was happy. I had been
chasing after the good form the other riders already had for
a long time. Now at least I had been moving forward over
each climb during the course, instead of slipping further
back as each climb proceeded. It proves my form is here."
Hitting the dirt at GP SATS in 2003 Photo: © Frank Rud
Jensen The waiting for Roubaix takes place in Harelbeke, in
a hotel the riders are getting used to.
"We stay at the same place during the 'classic' part of the
spring season. We came here after Dwars door Vlaanderen-
Waregem. It makes things a lot easier when we don't have to
move around. The time between the races is mostly spent
lying on bed, trying to recover as much as possible and stay
fresh and relaxed until the next race. Today, the day after
Gent-Wevelgem, we rode for one and a half hours, because we
got a lot of rain over us. Normally a ride would last for
eighty or ninety kilometres. We're basically eating and
sleeping with some riding included."
Riding on the pavé in northern France and in Belgium has
always been a preference for the tall, blond Swede, and he's
not scared of the mess and mud either.
"I have always liked these races. I like riding on pavé. I
guess if you're good at something, it's easy to like it.
It's true I don't mind the bad weather either. Especially
not at these races. The worse the road, the worse the
weather, I'd say. It gives me an advantage over those who
doen't like it too. Some give up the minute they pull the
curtains and see the weather. Then there's some riders who
can't physically stand the rain either, they just get too
cold. Luckily, I don't have any problems with that."
Fair enough that your heart has to be in it, but what makes
him such a good pavé rider that he can claim to like cobbles
big as tombstones and ditches deep with mud?
"Oh, I don't know. It could very well be a matter of
attitude in the end. As I said, I do like to race on these
roads, and what is even better, I also like to train on
these roads. I will go out and look for them. Some people
doen't like to do that, they think it's bumpy and shaky, and
that is obviously to their disadvantage. I think it's plain
fun," Magnus says.
With his good form just appearing, how brave is his ambition
on Sunday morning, I'm curious to find out?
Heading for the start at Flanders Photo: © Chris Henry "My
ambition is to win! Every time I head for the start of a
race, my ambition is to win. On a more realistic level,
with a good day without punctures and where I manage to
stay upright on both wheels, I'd like to finish top ten. It
would be good if I could do better, but in order to be
satisfied, I need to have a goal, and for Sunday, top ten
is that goal."
The mystique of Paris-Roubaix resembles no other race, and
just as many other riders who will line up for the start on
Sunday, Magnus has felt it too, even before he started his
own professional career.
"I remember I had a poster of Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle
winning Paris-Roubaix on my wall. It was in the early
nineties and I guess it was a boy's childhood dream. Even
now I still think it is a race like no other. It's a one-of-a-
kind competition where everything from cobblestones to
mother fortune could either work your way or against you."
If you could choose between a world champion title or a win
on Sunday, what would it be?
"I'd rather win on Sunday!" Magnus says without doubt.
Other Cyclingnews interviews Full Paris-Roubaix coverage
