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In einer Belgischen Sportzeitschrift hat sich der Walter mal richtig ausgesprochen. Die Kurzfassung auf deutsch gibts von rsn und von dailypeloton.com gibts die ausführliche Übersetzung ins Englische mit einigen interessanten Kommentaren zu den zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen und der Rennintelligenz einzelner Fahrer.
Back home in Sint-Martens-Latem, Walter Godefroot is recharging his batteries after a life of stress. Outside, the Leie is meandering through an untouched landscape, while inside things are finally slowing down. There’s an almost sacred quiet now after his farewell as general manager of T-Mobile. Few calls and no worries; instead there’s the endearing presence of grandchildren and the time to enjoy the little things in life. And the occasional visit from a journalist, looking for a farewell story.
A story that deserves to be told over a good meal. Godefroot gets in his car and we drive to a nearby restaurant. The window there gives a view on the rural beauty that still is the mark of this artists’ town. It’s a summery day in October. Always one to appreciate gastronomy, Godefroot is visibly enjoying himself. He asks for the menu, but orders champagne first. Does he feel like celebrating?
Walter Godefroot: In November the T-Mobile team regrouped for the first time this season. They asked me if I wanted to be there, but I didn’t, I felt that it would be inappropriate. There are new people with the team now, I no longer have my place there. They also wanted to organize some sort of farewell party for me, but I didn’t like that idea either. I never felt the need to be in the spotlight, and plan to keep it that way. What did strike me was that the T-Mobile and Telekom direction committees invited me out for dinner with them; they were even willing to come over to Belgium for that. But that really isn’t necessary, I’ll just go to Bonn myself instead. It’s a small effort if you worked for the same company for 14 years.
Sport Magazine: Didn’t you feel like saying goodbye to the riders?
No, I really don’t like sentimental occasions like that. We did drink a few bottles of champagne the night before Paris-Tours, my last race, and we emptied the two that were left after Zabel won. That was more than enough of a celebration for me. I did my job, and now it’s time for a new part of my life. It’s as simple as that.
SM: Not even a hint of melancholy?
Not in the least. It’s been good, but most of all: it’s been enough. When I quit as a rider, it felt as if a huge weight fell off my shoulders. I just couldn’t take it anymore. It’s the same now, I was getting tired of it all. You start to notice that you no longer have that edge, and that you let certain things pass you by. To give you an example: at the start of last season Andreas Klöden openly raised the question in the media if Zabel should be on the Tour team. A few years ago, I would have come down on him like a ton of bricks for a public remark like that. But I didn’t do anything. That’s when you know: it’s about time I quit.
Apart from that I always had a certain idea of teambuilding: the team is more important than the individual, no matter what. And that goes in against everything they’re doing at T-Mobile right now. Everything is focused on Jan Ullrich and will be even more so next season. I don’t feel comfortable with the direction they’re taking. In my opinion a team like T-Mobile should focus on the Tour and the classics, like we did the past 7-8 years. That way you take some pressure off Ullrich’s shoulders too. But with how they do things now, that pressure will only get bigger; everything’s focused on the Tour. That was never my way of doing things.
SM: So it must have been a tough decision to leave Zabel off the Tour team?
No, because the idea was: everything for Ullrich. In that respect it was better if Zabel stayed at home, also because the team spirit wouldn’t have been optimal with him there. There’s Klöden who criticized Zabel so badly early in the season, or Kessler who doesn’t respect him. Zabel’s presence wouldn’t have been beneficial for the atmosphere within the team, he would have been isolated. I told him the same thing; I drove all the way to the German national championships to explain it to him. You have to keep in mind: having a sprinter on the team brings a certain responsibility with it, you have to do some chasing in the flat stages and you can’t play hide and seek when another DS asks you to set up the chase. Erik accepted that decision.
SM: Perhaps, but he did draw his conclusions.
That’s right. Zabel is still so eager and so proud. It’s clear that he’s ready to get back at some people next season.
SM: Why doesn’t someone like Kessler respect Zabel, anyway?
He blames him for never working for anyone else. But that’s only logical, Zabel is a sprinter. And if he wins, the others share in the profits.
SM: Still, it’s strange that he’s isolated like that within the team.
Perhaps, it just kind of grew that way. Because everyone is on a different racing program, you get teams within the team. To avoid that you constantly need to keep in touch with every one of your riders, but that didn’t happen. I pointed out the potential danger a few times before to the team staff, but I felt it wasn’t my place anymore to take actions. You know, perhaps T-Mobile should make Tabula Rasa [a blank slate]. Everyone should question their position, and maybe the team could use a crisis manager. Time will tell if Olaf Ludwig is up for that task. Last season Ludwig mostly kept to observing.
SM: Was it different to work for T-Mobile than for Telekom?
Oh, absolutely. At Telekom you had one boss: Kindervater. So if you had a problem, you knew who to turn to. T-Mobile has 4 different bosses, who usually are divided. In that respect it’s really two completely different worlds. Telekom also liked to show off: during the team presentations in Bonn the riders would sleep in the castle Gorbatchov used to stay at. The management loved to be able to say that. But at T-Mobile they’re much more careful.
SM: So there wasn’t a clear division of power at T-Mobile.
No. There wasn’t anyone at the top who said: I’ll take responsibility for the team. So if - on top of that - you see the team going through an evolution that doesn’t match your own team philosophy, you start feeling jaded. To be honest, it’s already a year or two that I’ve been wondering if it was all worth it anymore. If your job gives you joy, you can work day and night. But what’s left if you don’t feel that joy anymore?
SM: Isn’t it a little strange that the team is focusing more and more on Ullrich, when it’s very much the question if he can still win the Tour?
Physically speaking Ullrich’s abilities are still enormous, he really has a body of steel, a twelve-cylinder. I only know three other riders of his generation with similar physical abilities: Armstrong, Pantani and Frank Vandenbroucke. But of course, it’s an entirely different question if Ullrich is getting enough out of that big engine. On the other hand: who are we to tell Ullrich to start living his life differently?
SM: But isn’t it strange that a team focuses its entire season around Ullrich and the Tour, when it became clear last year that he can’t accelerate in the cols anymore, or isn’t even capable of responding to attacks?
The question is how much that crash at the start of the Tour influenced him. That’s what people are focusing on. Or rather: that’s what his entourage is focusing on.
SM: Even when it was already clear in the Tour de Suisse that Ullrich wasn’t at his best, he couldn’t even keep up with Michael Rogers in the cols.
Yes, it was hard to miss that.
Time for a short pause. The hors d’oeuvre is served, we keep it simple: cheese sticks. The clanging of knives and forks breaks the silence, a tractor is puffing through the street. Sint-Martens-Latem still breathes an ancient rural spirit. Godefroot is talking on the phone with his cycling business. He’s having some construction work done and is closely following the entire process. He has always been fascinated by the construction business.
Walter Godefroot: It was always my dream to become a mason. But my dad wanted me to get an education, and when I was young there was no specific training to become a mason. So I learned to be a carpenter instead. I really enjoy coordinating those construction works in my store. I’ll always find time for something like that. But where were we?
SM: Ullrich’s lack of explosiveness in the cols.
Ah, yes. A lot has to do with his way of training, of course. I’ve been told that Ullrich is on holiday right now and is returning the 1st of November. And that he’d start training right away. It’s not too late to work on his climbing shortcomings, but time is slowly running out. Ullrich will be 32 in December, if it doesn’t work out for him next season it never will.
SM: But he’ll have to change his way of training first.
Everything is strength-based with him. So yeah, he really should try training differently. You can push away a 200-pound weight, or you can push away a 20-pound weight 10 times. Essentially the same workout, but the muscle development is completely different. But of course, it’s his entourage that will have to motivate him to change his ways. Ullrich thinks that everything is about strength. But cycling is a combination of strength and suppleness. Look at Lance Armstrong. You can never reach such a high pedalling frequency without strength.
SM: If Ullrich is really convinced that only strength matters, chances are slim that he’ll change his way of training.
That’ll depend on his entourage.
SM: And does he listen to his entourage?
I’m not going to say anything about that.
SM: Did you and Ullrich have a lot of contact last season?
Barely. We didn’t have to, anyway. Besides: if you call him it takes three days to actually reach him, so you don’t call him. Besides, there’s no point to hang around a rider with 2-3 different persons. Jan’s situation was really pretty simple: Pevenage was his advisor and Mario Kummer holds the sportive responsibility within the team.
SM: But that shouldn’t stop you from talking to one of your riders once in a while.
No. But apparently Jan didn’t think it was necessary. And to be honest, neither did I.
SM: Was it a tough last season?
I think I managed to survive it pretty well. Even if it took a while before we clinched that first win of the season. But just when the criticism was getting louder, Vinokourov won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Zabel the Henninger Turm. That was enough to keep things quiet until the Tour. That’s also why I initially was only planning to spend a day or three at the Tour, but Kummer insisted I stay the entire race. So I did. But in all truthfulness, I could only lose once the Tour was over. Should Ullrich have won, it erh…certainly wouldn’t have been my merit. But if he lost, it would ultimately have been my responsibility. In the end we won three stages, the team ranking and made it on the podium. Apparently everyone was okay with that. And it was remarkable that it was mostly Kummer who was being criticized during the Tour, they didn’t think him crafty enough, not enough of an ********* [asshole] like they say in Germany. Even if Mario is an excellent DS. But now they’ve gone and made him coordinator instead.
SM: And Rudy Pevenage was re-hired as DS.
In a way I don’t even think it’s a bad thing to give Pevenage full responsibility over Ulllrich. If Jan fails in the Tour, Pevenage doesn’t have anyone else to blame anymore. At least the situation is more transparent now.
SM: Pevenage’s return would have been out of the question had you stayed on.
Absolutely. Everyone has to decide for themselves if they still want to work with him, it’s not my business anymore. They say that I’m disappointed that Pevenage is back with the team but I really don’t mind; I don’t have to work with him any longer. To put it bluntly: what do I care if Pevenage returns or not? But you know, I’d rather not talk about Pevenage. Everything I say…
Saved by the bell. The main dish is served: Dover sole with salad and fries. It doesn’t get much better than this. The restaurant radiates an old-fashioned Flemish coziness. Godefroot wants to keep it that way. “Do we really have to talk about Pevenage?” he asks. Yes, really. “Let’s do that first then”, he sighs. “But I’ll be very short”.
SM: Would you still be with the team if it wasn’t for Pevenage?
I don’t think so. You have to remember: it was I who hired Pevenage. He sorely disappointed me later on, not just because of his short leave, but for many other reasons. It was the first time in my life that I said: I never want to work with that man again. I didn’t see a possibility for that anymore. Eventually Pevenage was hired by Jan as some sort of personal advisor. Which wasn’t a healthy situation of course, even if that situation was partly created by the sponsor’s lenient attitude, as they can’t do without Jan Ullrich’s publicity value. I understand that, T-Mobile wants the best and Ullrich is the best you can get in Germany. But you have to ask yourself how far you can go in that. I like to compare it to football: would players like Zidane, Beckham and Ronaldo all come knock down the door of the Real Madrid board of directors with personal advisors and managers? I don’t think so. But at T-Mobile the team leader was allowed to do that. And so you encounter certain problems that come with that. Criticism behind my back, putting people up against each other like Pevenage did.
SM: And the criticism didn’t stop.
Yeah, well, you are who you are.
SM: But surely you can’t work like that?
Look, I’ve always tried to keep the team staff together. But I saw people leaving the team because of Pevenage. Jean-Marc Vandenberghe for example, one of the best mechanics I ever worked with. Or Bart Van Hoof, a soigneur. They left because of him, they told me: we don’t want to work with that man anymore. I’ve always thought that a team is only as strong as its weakest link. That means that the 27th man should get the same treatment as number one. It’s not a team if you don’t keep to that. You can’t focus all your attention on one man and let the others find their own way.
SM: So that’s why Pevenage’s return wasn’t exactly beneficial for the serenity within the team?
He never returned on the team.
SM: Maybe not theoretically, but in reality he was there.
Not even in reality. He wasn’t part of the team. He sometimes came into the hotel to see Jan, but that’s about it. Just like Tomy Rominger would, who represents a few riders on the team. If Jan needed something or someone special, he had to see to that by himself. I obviously can’t control what happens behind my back or what people say, but I was aware that people were talking about me in a less than friendly manner.
SM: It’s said that Pevenage was especially critical of your decisions during the Tour.
Can’t we change the subject?
SM: But Pevenage will be back in an official position next season.
Like I said: it’s about time he took responsibility. I’m very anxious to see if Ullrich will be ready for the Tour next season. Especially because things aren’t easy with Jan, he only wants one thing: that you leave him be. Jan hardly bothers with other riders, either. Armstrong, for example, would call injured riders two times a week to check up on them. Ullrich would never do that. On the other hand: I never heard Jan say a bad word about anyone. And apart from all that I would like to add that in the whole business with Pevenage, it’s often me that gets portrayed as the stubborn one, but that anyone who knows the core of the matter thinks differently.
SM: It’s still painful to speak of it?
I’ve never been so disappointed in anyone in my entire life. Rudy wasn’t a co-worker but a friend, someone I trusted. Until some inexcusable things happened.
Time for dessert. Then again, coffee should do. We go sit outside. On the corner of the street two retired ladies are talking, and in the distance the Sint-Martens-Latem golf course is shining in the sun, while a painter is looking to the landscape for inspiration. There’s not the least bit of stress anywhere in the little artists’ town.
Walter Godefroot: I never really pressured myself. It’s only as a rider that I felt nervous before a race, I was so pumped up that I would have punched anyone in the face that tried to take my cap for laughs. But when the race was over all that would ebb away really quickly. I remember a Tour of Flanders in which I was riding towards victory and was put out of contention by a flat on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. Two hours later I was at home, calmly watching a tv show, like nothing had happened. As a DS or manager I never felt any stress. I always told myself: you can solve 50% of all the problems you’re faced with yourself, but you’ll just have to learn to live with the other 50%. The only thing I asked of my riders is that they behaved professionally. And that they kept to their orders during the race.
SM: So how did it make you feel when Ullrich countered Vinokourov’s attack in the stage to Briancon in the Tour?
I thought that was a tactically sound move, I don’t understand why everyone was making such a big deal about that. We were trying to isolate Armstrong, that seemed to be the only way to beat him. If Vinokourov attacks alone and everything comes to a halt behind him, Armstrong’s teammates return and organize the chase. But if Ullrich attacks too, the race explodes. Unfortunately, Lance was so superior that he did the job without any teammates. But that doesn’t take away that some other things happened during that Tour…
SM: Such as?
In one stage we agreed that the team would make pace up until the foot of the final climb. When Vinokourov attacked, Klöden just kept up the pace and eventually closed the gap. Because, Klöden said, the team was told to keep up the pace. So yeah, that doesn’t indicate a surplus of racing intelligence. And afterwards you have to try and tell the press something somewhat believable. When it really was just a huge tactical mistake.
SM: Did Vinokourov suffer because of the total focus on Ullrich?
No. But he made his decision before he would start to suffer because of it. I’m really curious how he will adapt to his new Spanish environment, by the way.
SM: To what extent will you keep following the team next year?
The service course is still in my own store, so I’ll see some of the riders from time to time, even if I made sure that there’s a private entrance now. And they asked me if I would like to sit in the team car from time to time, as a guest. Maybe I’ll think differently after New Year’s, but at the moment I really don’t feel a need for that. I’m 62 years old, and I’ve been in cycling for over 35 years, working really hard. I think I deserve a quiet life now.
Walter Godefroot asks for the bill. It’s time to go. Slowly we drive home, navigating between the trees and ditches. Leaves are falling, and fall is flaunting its beauty under a mild sun. In the car he talks about the highlight of his career: Erik Zabel’s win in Paris-Tours a few months ago. “Much against my usual behaviour I was really moved”, he says. He talks about his hope that Ullrich will be completely back next season: “Ullrich is crucial for the future of the team. T-Mobile is a small industry with about 50 employees, he more than ever has a big responsibility. And so does his entourage. T-Mobile still has a contract until 2008, but you know how fast those things can change.” Back home, the dog can’t be happier when he sees his boss. Godefroot gets ready for a walk. A long one.
Translation by Jan Janssens.
Source: Sport Magazine: End of season Cycling Special
Back home in Sint-Martens-Latem, Walter Godefroot is recharging his batteries after a life of stress. Outside, the Leie is meandering through an untouched landscape, while inside things are finally slowing down. There’s an almost sacred quiet now after his farewell as general manager of T-Mobile. Few calls and no worries; instead there’s the endearing presence of grandchildren and the time to enjoy the little things in life. And the occasional visit from a journalist, looking for a farewell story.
A story that deserves to be told over a good meal. Godefroot gets in his car and we drive to a nearby restaurant. The window there gives a view on the rural beauty that still is the mark of this artists’ town. It’s a summery day in October. Always one to appreciate gastronomy, Godefroot is visibly enjoying himself. He asks for the menu, but orders champagne first. Does he feel like celebrating?
Walter Godefroot: In November the T-Mobile team regrouped for the first time this season. They asked me if I wanted to be there, but I didn’t, I felt that it would be inappropriate. There are new people with the team now, I no longer have my place there. They also wanted to organize some sort of farewell party for me, but I didn’t like that idea either. I never felt the need to be in the spotlight, and plan to keep it that way. What did strike me was that the T-Mobile and Telekom direction committees invited me out for dinner with them; they were even willing to come over to Belgium for that. But that really isn’t necessary, I’ll just go to Bonn myself instead. It’s a small effort if you worked for the same company for 14 years.
Sport Magazine: Didn’t you feel like saying goodbye to the riders?
No, I really don’t like sentimental occasions like that. We did drink a few bottles of champagne the night before Paris-Tours, my last race, and we emptied the two that were left after Zabel won. That was more than enough of a celebration for me. I did my job, and now it’s time for a new part of my life. It’s as simple as that.
SM: Not even a hint of melancholy?
Not in the least. It’s been good, but most of all: it’s been enough. When I quit as a rider, it felt as if a huge weight fell off my shoulders. I just couldn’t take it anymore. It’s the same now, I was getting tired of it all. You start to notice that you no longer have that edge, and that you let certain things pass you by. To give you an example: at the start of last season Andreas Klöden openly raised the question in the media if Zabel should be on the Tour team. A few years ago, I would have come down on him like a ton of bricks for a public remark like that. But I didn’t do anything. That’s when you know: it’s about time I quit.
Apart from that I always had a certain idea of teambuilding: the team is more important than the individual, no matter what. And that goes in against everything they’re doing at T-Mobile right now. Everything is focused on Jan Ullrich and will be even more so next season. I don’t feel comfortable with the direction they’re taking. In my opinion a team like T-Mobile should focus on the Tour and the classics, like we did the past 7-8 years. That way you take some pressure off Ullrich’s shoulders too. But with how they do things now, that pressure will only get bigger; everything’s focused on the Tour. That was never my way of doing things.
SM: So it must have been a tough decision to leave Zabel off the Tour team?
No, because the idea was: everything for Ullrich. In that respect it was better if Zabel stayed at home, also because the team spirit wouldn’t have been optimal with him there. There’s Klöden who criticized Zabel so badly early in the season, or Kessler who doesn’t respect him. Zabel’s presence wouldn’t have been beneficial for the atmosphere within the team, he would have been isolated. I told him the same thing; I drove all the way to the German national championships to explain it to him. You have to keep in mind: having a sprinter on the team brings a certain responsibility with it, you have to do some chasing in the flat stages and you can’t play hide and seek when another DS asks you to set up the chase. Erik accepted that decision.
SM: Perhaps, but he did draw his conclusions.
That’s right. Zabel is still so eager and so proud. It’s clear that he’s ready to get back at some people next season.
SM: Why doesn’t someone like Kessler respect Zabel, anyway?
He blames him for never working for anyone else. But that’s only logical, Zabel is a sprinter. And if he wins, the others share in the profits.
SM: Still, it’s strange that he’s isolated like that within the team.
Perhaps, it just kind of grew that way. Because everyone is on a different racing program, you get teams within the team. To avoid that you constantly need to keep in touch with every one of your riders, but that didn’t happen. I pointed out the potential danger a few times before to the team staff, but I felt it wasn’t my place anymore to take actions. You know, perhaps T-Mobile should make Tabula Rasa [a blank slate]. Everyone should question their position, and maybe the team could use a crisis manager. Time will tell if Olaf Ludwig is up for that task. Last season Ludwig mostly kept to observing.
SM: Was it different to work for T-Mobile than for Telekom?
Oh, absolutely. At Telekom you had one boss: Kindervater. So if you had a problem, you knew who to turn to. T-Mobile has 4 different bosses, who usually are divided. In that respect it’s really two completely different worlds. Telekom also liked to show off: during the team presentations in Bonn the riders would sleep in the castle Gorbatchov used to stay at. The management loved to be able to say that. But at T-Mobile they’re much more careful.
SM: So there wasn’t a clear division of power at T-Mobile.
No. There wasn’t anyone at the top who said: I’ll take responsibility for the team. So if - on top of that - you see the team going through an evolution that doesn’t match your own team philosophy, you start feeling jaded. To be honest, it’s already a year or two that I’ve been wondering if it was all worth it anymore. If your job gives you joy, you can work day and night. But what’s left if you don’t feel that joy anymore?
SM: Isn’t it a little strange that the team is focusing more and more on Ullrich, when it’s very much the question if he can still win the Tour?
Physically speaking Ullrich’s abilities are still enormous, he really has a body of steel, a twelve-cylinder. I only know three other riders of his generation with similar physical abilities: Armstrong, Pantani and Frank Vandenbroucke. But of course, it’s an entirely different question if Ullrich is getting enough out of that big engine. On the other hand: who are we to tell Ullrich to start living his life differently?
SM: But isn’t it strange that a team focuses its entire season around Ullrich and the Tour, when it became clear last year that he can’t accelerate in the cols anymore, or isn’t even capable of responding to attacks?
The question is how much that crash at the start of the Tour influenced him. That’s what people are focusing on. Or rather: that’s what his entourage is focusing on.
SM: Even when it was already clear in the Tour de Suisse that Ullrich wasn’t at his best, he couldn’t even keep up with Michael Rogers in the cols.
Yes, it was hard to miss that.
Time for a short pause. The hors d’oeuvre is served, we keep it simple: cheese sticks. The clanging of knives and forks breaks the silence, a tractor is puffing through the street. Sint-Martens-Latem still breathes an ancient rural spirit. Godefroot is talking on the phone with his cycling business. He’s having some construction work done and is closely following the entire process. He has always been fascinated by the construction business.
Walter Godefroot: It was always my dream to become a mason. But my dad wanted me to get an education, and when I was young there was no specific training to become a mason. So I learned to be a carpenter instead. I really enjoy coordinating those construction works in my store. I’ll always find time for something like that. But where were we?
SM: Ullrich’s lack of explosiveness in the cols.
Ah, yes. A lot has to do with his way of training, of course. I’ve been told that Ullrich is on holiday right now and is returning the 1st of November. And that he’d start training right away. It’s not too late to work on his climbing shortcomings, but time is slowly running out. Ullrich will be 32 in December, if it doesn’t work out for him next season it never will.
SM: But he’ll have to change his way of training first.
Everything is strength-based with him. So yeah, he really should try training differently. You can push away a 200-pound weight, or you can push away a 20-pound weight 10 times. Essentially the same workout, but the muscle development is completely different. But of course, it’s his entourage that will have to motivate him to change his ways. Ullrich thinks that everything is about strength. But cycling is a combination of strength and suppleness. Look at Lance Armstrong. You can never reach such a high pedalling frequency without strength.
SM: If Ullrich is really convinced that only strength matters, chances are slim that he’ll change his way of training.
That’ll depend on his entourage.
SM: And does he listen to his entourage?
I’m not going to say anything about that.
SM: Did you and Ullrich have a lot of contact last season?
Barely. We didn’t have to, anyway. Besides: if you call him it takes three days to actually reach him, so you don’t call him. Besides, there’s no point to hang around a rider with 2-3 different persons. Jan’s situation was really pretty simple: Pevenage was his advisor and Mario Kummer holds the sportive responsibility within the team.
SM: But that shouldn’t stop you from talking to one of your riders once in a while.
No. But apparently Jan didn’t think it was necessary. And to be honest, neither did I.
SM: Was it a tough last season?
I think I managed to survive it pretty well. Even if it took a while before we clinched that first win of the season. But just when the criticism was getting louder, Vinokourov won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Zabel the Henninger Turm. That was enough to keep things quiet until the Tour. That’s also why I initially was only planning to spend a day or three at the Tour, but Kummer insisted I stay the entire race. So I did. But in all truthfulness, I could only lose once the Tour was over. Should Ullrich have won, it erh…certainly wouldn’t have been my merit. But if he lost, it would ultimately have been my responsibility. In the end we won three stages, the team ranking and made it on the podium. Apparently everyone was okay with that. And it was remarkable that it was mostly Kummer who was being criticized during the Tour, they didn’t think him crafty enough, not enough of an ********* [asshole] like they say in Germany. Even if Mario is an excellent DS. But now they’ve gone and made him coordinator instead.
SM: And Rudy Pevenage was re-hired as DS.
In a way I don’t even think it’s a bad thing to give Pevenage full responsibility over Ulllrich. If Jan fails in the Tour, Pevenage doesn’t have anyone else to blame anymore. At least the situation is more transparent now.
SM: Pevenage’s return would have been out of the question had you stayed on.
Absolutely. Everyone has to decide for themselves if they still want to work with him, it’s not my business anymore. They say that I’m disappointed that Pevenage is back with the team but I really don’t mind; I don’t have to work with him any longer. To put it bluntly: what do I care if Pevenage returns or not? But you know, I’d rather not talk about Pevenage. Everything I say…
Saved by the bell. The main dish is served: Dover sole with salad and fries. It doesn’t get much better than this. The restaurant radiates an old-fashioned Flemish coziness. Godefroot wants to keep it that way. “Do we really have to talk about Pevenage?” he asks. Yes, really. “Let’s do that first then”, he sighs. “But I’ll be very short”.
SM: Would you still be with the team if it wasn’t for Pevenage?
I don’t think so. You have to remember: it was I who hired Pevenage. He sorely disappointed me later on, not just because of his short leave, but for many other reasons. It was the first time in my life that I said: I never want to work with that man again. I didn’t see a possibility for that anymore. Eventually Pevenage was hired by Jan as some sort of personal advisor. Which wasn’t a healthy situation of course, even if that situation was partly created by the sponsor’s lenient attitude, as they can’t do without Jan Ullrich’s publicity value. I understand that, T-Mobile wants the best and Ullrich is the best you can get in Germany. But you have to ask yourself how far you can go in that. I like to compare it to football: would players like Zidane, Beckham and Ronaldo all come knock down the door of the Real Madrid board of directors with personal advisors and managers? I don’t think so. But at T-Mobile the team leader was allowed to do that. And so you encounter certain problems that come with that. Criticism behind my back, putting people up against each other like Pevenage did.
SM: And the criticism didn’t stop.
Yeah, well, you are who you are.
SM: But surely you can’t work like that?
Look, I’ve always tried to keep the team staff together. But I saw people leaving the team because of Pevenage. Jean-Marc Vandenberghe for example, one of the best mechanics I ever worked with. Or Bart Van Hoof, a soigneur. They left because of him, they told me: we don’t want to work with that man anymore. I’ve always thought that a team is only as strong as its weakest link. That means that the 27th man should get the same treatment as number one. It’s not a team if you don’t keep to that. You can’t focus all your attention on one man and let the others find their own way.
SM: So that’s why Pevenage’s return wasn’t exactly beneficial for the serenity within the team?
He never returned on the team.
SM: Maybe not theoretically, but in reality he was there.
Not even in reality. He wasn’t part of the team. He sometimes came into the hotel to see Jan, but that’s about it. Just like Tomy Rominger would, who represents a few riders on the team. If Jan needed something or someone special, he had to see to that by himself. I obviously can’t control what happens behind my back or what people say, but I was aware that people were talking about me in a less than friendly manner.
SM: It’s said that Pevenage was especially critical of your decisions during the Tour.
Can’t we change the subject?
SM: But Pevenage will be back in an official position next season.
Like I said: it’s about time he took responsibility. I’m very anxious to see if Ullrich will be ready for the Tour next season. Especially because things aren’t easy with Jan, he only wants one thing: that you leave him be. Jan hardly bothers with other riders, either. Armstrong, for example, would call injured riders two times a week to check up on them. Ullrich would never do that. On the other hand: I never heard Jan say a bad word about anyone. And apart from all that I would like to add that in the whole business with Pevenage, it’s often me that gets portrayed as the stubborn one, but that anyone who knows the core of the matter thinks differently.
SM: It’s still painful to speak of it?
I’ve never been so disappointed in anyone in my entire life. Rudy wasn’t a co-worker but a friend, someone I trusted. Until some inexcusable things happened.
Time for dessert. Then again, coffee should do. We go sit outside. On the corner of the street two retired ladies are talking, and in the distance the Sint-Martens-Latem golf course is shining in the sun, while a painter is looking to the landscape for inspiration. There’s not the least bit of stress anywhere in the little artists’ town.
Walter Godefroot: I never really pressured myself. It’s only as a rider that I felt nervous before a race, I was so pumped up that I would have punched anyone in the face that tried to take my cap for laughs. But when the race was over all that would ebb away really quickly. I remember a Tour of Flanders in which I was riding towards victory and was put out of contention by a flat on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. Two hours later I was at home, calmly watching a tv show, like nothing had happened. As a DS or manager I never felt any stress. I always told myself: you can solve 50% of all the problems you’re faced with yourself, but you’ll just have to learn to live with the other 50%. The only thing I asked of my riders is that they behaved professionally. And that they kept to their orders during the race.
SM: So how did it make you feel when Ullrich countered Vinokourov’s attack in the stage to Briancon in the Tour?
I thought that was a tactically sound move, I don’t understand why everyone was making such a big deal about that. We were trying to isolate Armstrong, that seemed to be the only way to beat him. If Vinokourov attacks alone and everything comes to a halt behind him, Armstrong’s teammates return and organize the chase. But if Ullrich attacks too, the race explodes. Unfortunately, Lance was so superior that he did the job without any teammates. But that doesn’t take away that some other things happened during that Tour…
SM: Such as?
In one stage we agreed that the team would make pace up until the foot of the final climb. When Vinokourov attacked, Klöden just kept up the pace and eventually closed the gap. Because, Klöden said, the team was told to keep up the pace. So yeah, that doesn’t indicate a surplus of racing intelligence. And afterwards you have to try and tell the press something somewhat believable. When it really was just a huge tactical mistake.
SM: Did Vinokourov suffer because of the total focus on Ullrich?
No. But he made his decision before he would start to suffer because of it. I’m really curious how he will adapt to his new Spanish environment, by the way.
SM: To what extent will you keep following the team next year?
The service course is still in my own store, so I’ll see some of the riders from time to time, even if I made sure that there’s a private entrance now. And they asked me if I would like to sit in the team car from time to time, as a guest. Maybe I’ll think differently after New Year’s, but at the moment I really don’t feel a need for that. I’m 62 years old, and I’ve been in cycling for over 35 years, working really hard. I think I deserve a quiet life now.
Walter Godefroot asks for the bill. It’s time to go. Slowly we drive home, navigating between the trees and ditches. Leaves are falling, and fall is flaunting its beauty under a mild sun. In the car he talks about the highlight of his career: Erik Zabel’s win in Paris-Tours a few months ago. “Much against my usual behaviour I was really moved”, he says. He talks about his hope that Ullrich will be completely back next season: “Ullrich is crucial for the future of the team. T-Mobile is a small industry with about 50 employees, he more than ever has a big responsibility. And so does his entourage. T-Mobile still has a contract until 2008, but you know how fast those things can change.” Back home, the dog can’t be happier when he sees his boss. Godefroot gets ready for a walk. A long one.
Translation by Jan Janssens.
Source: Sport Magazine: End of season Cycling Special