By Bjorn Haake in Zaragoza
Reimund Dietzen, a Gerolsteiner Directeur Sportif knows his employment situation is uncertain, but the German hasn't started his job search yet. He had been holding out for the team to find a new sponsor and continue with the same organisation. "I was waiting until the end," he said. I was really hoping that we would find a sponsor."
New offers haven't been hard to come by, and Dietzen is keeping his options open. "I have already been approached by a few people. I will check it out and see if there is anything interesting. Then I would like to stay involved in cycling."
But if it doesn't work out, Dietzen will have a plan, too. "Otherwise, I have more time for my family." He also has a second business option. "I am running cycling tours five kilometres from where I live." This would indicate that Dietzen could spend more time in his adopted home in Tarragona, Spain. Located south of Barcelona near the coast, it is a great way of combining cycling with some relaxing at the beach.
He won't have to miss contact with his compatriots, either. "Most of the people who sign up for the tours are Germans. They want to go enjoy the sun in Spain... And it is a really beautiful area." He sought the area even when he was a professional cyclist. "It is one of the best country side for cycling in my opinion."
Dietzen was always drawn to Spain, and his best wins came here. He won several stages in the Vuelta a España and finished second in the overall classification in 1987 and 1988.
In the current race, Dietzen has one rider placed in a good position, even though things didn't start ideal. "Oliver Zaugg weighs only 56 kilograms and in the flat time trial he lost a lot of time." But now things start to look good for Zaugg, who is currently 15th in the overall. "There is no more flat time trial and I think he will move up some more. He is feeling well."
Dietzen expects next weekend and even the final days before Madrid to be decisive. "There will be some changes in the overall in Asturias and also in the Sierra de Madrid. Oliver can only move up..."
