After the Cyclassics and the Sport Bild Award in Hamburg, where I was honoured, I am again at home. Unfortunately things in Hamburg did not go as I had wanted. The crash at the tour and the missing race kilometers afterwards are making themselves noticed. I am lacking the racing and freshness. In training, I will now concentrate on the last high points of the season. It would of course be great to defend our title at the Worlds with the team.

The evening at the Sport Bild Award was great, by the way. It is always something special to meet top athletes from other sports and to talk about sport outside of our own little world. And of course athletes can party hearty, too. My girlfriend Tess and I left the party shortly before midnight. I was pretty worn out. Some of the others were still going strong into the early morning hours...

The end of the week I will be in Thüringen again, to visit my family, celebrate the birthday of my friend Karsten in Erfurt, and to ride my old training routes again. I will be back in touch.

Photo: roth-foto.de