Gerolsteiner's Matthias Russ looks a lot younger than his 22 years, but the young man already knows what it's like to have a pro win and even to wear the leader's jersey in a stage race. Susan Westemeyer finds out that the talented Gerolsteiner has not been overawed by his early success.
Success has come early in Matthias Russ' career. Most riders serve a long apprenticeship before they realise significant results. "The word 'overwhelming' describes it best," Russ told Cyclingnews. "In the moment that it happens, it just seems so unreal and then all of a sudden you know why you have trained so hard."
This is his second year in the pro peloton, having signed with Gerolsteiner as a neo-pro for the 2005 season. His first season was notably short on results. He was lucky enough to be nominated for the Vuelta last year, but had to drop out two-thirds of the way through - his first three-week Grand Tour was a bit too much coming at the end of a long first season.
