Robert Förster became Gerolsteiner's number one sprinter when Olaf Pollack left to join rival German Team T-Mobile. The only problem was that he had more second and third places than wins. So his goal for 2006 was to "pull off a big one" - and that's exactly what he did, winning the final stage of the Giro d'Italia. Unfortunately for him,he won't be able to win on the Champs Elysees this year, as Gerolsteiner has decided against including sprinters in their Tour team. Cyclingnews' Susan Westemeyer caught up with "Frösi" to find out how he is dealing with the ups and downs of life as a sprinter.
Cyclingnews: After you won the last stage of the Giro d'Italia, you said that you couldn't believe it. Have you been able to absorb it by now and what does it mean to you?
Robert Förster: It's slowly beginning to sink in - that was the biggest win of my career to date. Looking at it from a purely athletic point of view, winning a sprint at the end of a three-week Tour is something very special. I forced myself to make it through to Milan; some of the other sprinters had already gone home. It was a really super experience and I'm very proud of that win.
CN: How did the Giro go for you otherwise? Were you satisfied with your performance before the last stage?
RF: Well, I had to work pretty hard especially after what was a very frustrating start. I just wasn't able to get into the swing of things and I didn't play a role in any of the early sprints. I suffered many injuries before the Giro and they really had a negative effect on my form.
