Spitz notes effect of Olympic win

Winning the mountain bike gold medal at the Olympics in Beijing changed Sabine Spitz' life, but not her person. "I'm still me," she said. "But if I'm honest, I'm still just realising what I accomplished."

The changes include many more commercial offers, everything from judging beauty pageants to opening football games to appearing at cycling shows. Spitz, 37, is now asked to appear on German television and is interviewed for women and fitness magazines, according to badische-zeitung.de. In addition, she was voted female German cyclist of the year and was sixth overall as female athlete of the year.

Her husband and manager, Ralf Schäuble, noted however, that "Many people think that you have made your fortune with an Olympic win. But athletic successes don't necessarily bring financial successes with them." Spitz has acquired two new sponsors, "but not in a dramatic extent."

"We are moving in a problematic area. The financial crisis is having a negative effect on the sponsor market," Schäuble said.(SW)