Kopp looks for a better 2007

By Susan Westemeyer

Gerolsteiner's David Kopp had two major disappointments in his first season with the German team, but said, "I think everything equals out over time." After dropping out of the Tour de France and missing the World's, he is looking forward to trying both races again next year, he told the Bonner General Anzeiger newspaper.

His first disappointment came in the Tour, when he had to drop out only four days before the end of the race with a fever, but he remembers the good things more than the bad ones. "I took so much positive experiences from the Tour, even when it would have been nicer to reach Paris. In the extreme finishes I was able to really improve my sprinting ability." He also noted that "This year I was very close to a stage win two or three times. I now know that I am capable of winning a stage."

The bigger disappointment was missing the World Championships, because of a broken arm suffered in a crash only two weeks before the event. "Those are the shittiest moments in a cyclist's career. In the meantime it's okay again. I didn't train for six weeks and started training again in the beginning of November - for next year."