Albert Iten: "Downhill has become more interesting and exciting
Albert, you've been responsible for the gravity sector at Swiss Cycling since last fall. The situation in the junior sector is not exactly rosy
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We have a few juniors. Freddy Hunziker is really talented, he still has a year left. We don't have the same support as in cross-country, but there are a few ideas. You can do something with the iXS Rookies Cup. Pupils from the age of eleven ride there. It's still new to me, though, and I can't take care of it that far down. We still need a coordinator, but the idea is in our heads. I think we need to do something about that.
That goes beyond your remit?
Yes, I can't do that as a national coach. I have all the categories in downhill and four-cross. It's almost a full-time job. You have to make sacrifices. But I think I'll keep at it and we'll find a solution.
Your time budget is limited. You also have your own electrical business. That also means you're absent from the company.
Yes, that's the case. But my employees think it's cool that I'm involved in the sport. Sport has also given me a lot. Over 20 years and I think it's time to give something back. The need is there for me too.
You were out of the sport for quite some time. To what extent did you stay in touch with sport? Or were you completely away? As far as top-class sport is concerned, I was really away. I really needed some distance after such a long time. When I took over the business with 15 employees, the challenge remained, and I still needed that. With the guys in the Aegeri Bike Club, I continued to promote young talent, I controlled and implemented the training plans with three or four bikers. I supported them there for seven years.
Cross-country or downhill?
That was cross-country. But with a focus on technique and speed.
Do you have a coaching license?
No, I don't. But after so many years, you have experience. I once did a Y+S theory course (youth and sports course), but of course I come from a practical background and that also shapes me. As a national coach, the main part consists of organizing anyway.
How did it come about that you were asked when Ernst Schurter retired?
When Ernst resigned, they were thinking about who could do what and where, and apparently my name was heard again somewhere. Then I got a phone call in October. I said I needed a few weeks to think about it. I asked those around me, spoke to my family, to my colleagues, because I would certainly be away for two months. They said, yes, go for it, we'll help you. That was nice, I would never have thought that the support would still be there. Then I said I would do it. Of course I still have a lot to learn, but I've already been able to show the athletes a thing or two. Sure, the routes and bikes have changed, but the organization or the mental aspect hasn't changed, it's still the same.
The way you put it, it was an attractive offer for you.
(Laughs) I have to say the timing wasn't bad. You're approaching 50, you still feel young and fit and think, man, that can't be it yet. You're toying with the idea of maybe doing a marathon. Or something. I have to say, that's been the case for the last two or three years. I understand people who start again, like Schumi in Formula 1, but going back to the same sport is bad. If anything, then something else. This challenge of becoming a national coach is the much better option that I was given. Because you have the same nervousness, you're fully there, as if you were riding yourself. It's logical, it's fun. I wouldn't have thought that either, but it is. You get really excited. That's a big thing.
What impression do you get from the youngsters who have never experienced you as a racing driver? Do you feel any respect for your experience?
You have to find the wave, you approach the boys. It's obvious, I'm not coming here as a hero. If I see something, then I say so, try it this way or that. Sometimes I also ask the athletes how they do it. In the first year, I first have to observe and gain experience. Then I create a framework and see where there is still a lot of potential. That's the challenge for me.
If you're referring to the Swiss scene. In comparison. Were there more good young talents in Swiss downhill sport during your active time?
It's hard to say, downhill and cross-country used to be closer together. I don't think we had more young downhill talent. Downhill and four-cross are still fringe sports. The emphasis is on still! Downhill and four-cross are short events that involve action and movement. Spectators want that today. I think it will gain a wider foothold. Especially because freeride is coming. Freeride is now becoming mass, there's a market behind it. It could become an Olympic sport.
Why is the cross-country faction so strong in Switzerland and the downhillers and four-crossers - with the exception of Roger Rinderknecht - are lagging behind?
I think Switzerland is presenting itself for cross-country. It's the easiest sport to practice because you can do it away from home. Which is more difficult with downhill. That's why there are fewer riders. I think the best promotion would be BMX. That's the basis, it separates the wheat from the chaff at an early age, you can discover the talent. Children can start at the age of six or seven, it's a circuit that parents and coaches keep an eye on. If someone is good, they can do anything afterwards. That would be the best introduction and foundation from which the talents could move on to road, downhill, cross-country, etc. But there would have to be BMX tracks in every second village. I'm also keeping my eyes open in this direction.
Do you see yourself more as a downhill rider or more as a cross-country rider?
Both, yes. I started with cyclocross when I was 14. I always left everyone behind on the downhill. They left me behind on the climbs, that was the case early on. I was never as good as Frischknecht, but I made up for a lot with my technique. I'm more of an all-rounder.
In the mid-90s, you were one of the very few who did both at a very high level. Do you think it's logical that it's now become two separate disciplines or do you regret it too?
A lot has changed. In the past, if you had talent, you were at the front. That's no longer enough today. It's quite clear. Today, everyone who is there has talent. Today you have to train specifically if you want to be at the front. You didn't need to do any special training for downhill in the past, but that's no longer possible today. However, the sport has become much more interesting and exciting as a result.
In Mont Sainte Anne, you had the team around you. Nick Beer was unlucky in the World Championship, but in Windham he finished fifth and showed that he can ride at the front. How do you see his potential?
He has made a lot of progress physically this year. He can feel that too. Now his head has to catch up. Self-confidence is important. My motto is that injuries are of no use to us. A result once a year and the rest, I don't know what, that's a start, but it's not success yet. You have to learn to assess the risk. You can feel it in the race. There is always an omen for an accident, a crash. It's usually linked to nervousness or excessive demands. Nick has learned this and is training this year. I think he regained the confidence at the European Championships that he can ride fast and safely. These aspects clearly go into the mental area.
Who comes behind Nick and Marcel Beer?
In Champéry, Martin Frei suddenly made it into the top 50 and Thomas Jeandin even finished 28th in qualifying. Dominik Gspan and Billy Caroli also showed that they can still do it. When I asked why they were suddenly able to do it, I was told that they had taken it easy and without pressure. It can work without nervousness. That is proof that they can do it and that they are still working far too little on themselves mentally. Riding to a good result once in a while is fine, but being at the front for years is hard work. I want to help them with that. You have to look at where you can improve, where they still have potential, mentally, in their environment, on the bike, in training, at work, in their private lives, everywhere. Your head has to be free for fast image processing in downhill and four-cross. There is still a lot of potential there. Self-confidence, that's a big word, what lies behind it is ultimately a whole philosophy.
Emilie Siegenthaler is the best Swiss lady. But she still has room for improvement, doesn't she?
There's still something stuck in her head somewhere. The fact that she doesn't open the brakes - according to the motto, I can ride down quickly, but I can also ride down safely. Women have a higher inhibition threshold. Courage is good, fear is bad. She just has to be confident and say, I can do this.
Do you think she can be in the top three in the medium term?
She just needs a good result. She's got it in her to keep going. She needs to have more fun with it. Maybe she's still taking it too seriously. She's not quite free yet, she still feels under too much pressure. The pressure still needs to be transformed into a sense of security. She can do that.
That's also a job for a coach?
Yes, of course. You're supposed to have open conversations like that with the athletes. But not every time is suitable for this. Each athlete's personal coach would have much more influence. As the new national team coach, I still need time and trust.
You experienced a big disappointment at the end of your career because you missed out on qualifying for the 1996 Olympics against Beat Wabel by one point. Have you made peace with the missed qualification? (Laughs) Yes, I've certainly made my peace. That's done and dusted.
Did that take longer back then?
Yes, two years. Not that it changed me. I had a new challenge with the business. But it was a lesson. You can't achieve everything in life. Hey, I waited so long, I never had a title. Then suddenly, at 28, I'm Swiss champion, European champion, world champion. I can be more than satisfied. The sport made me happy and that will always be the case.
That sounds like life experience.
That is life. But it often continues somewhere else, that's the beauty of it. I've also experienced this in my private life. You have to be open, pursue what you like, never close yourself off. Always live your own identity. As a national team coach, I don't want to replace anyone. I want to be myself and pursue my ideas and pass on my experience. But again, it's up to the athletes to decide whether they want to do that at all. It's up to each individual. Independence is very important to me. They have to think for themselves, that's also fun. They have to realize their identity. I can say, hey, try this way, but maybe this way just doesn't suit him. I have to accept that and not be a dictator. Everyone is strongest in their own identity. That's the case at work and in relationships. These are top principles. Just like the team concept, which is very important to me.
The team spirit?
Yes, helping each other, motivating each other, everyone learns from everyone else. all that. If the whole group gets better, then there's a greater chance that someone will make it to the top. Individual support takes too much energy. You have to encourage everyone. Competitive thinking has to go. Of course the downhiller is an individual athlete, but together we can achieve more. I think they've slowly realized that. Selfish solo efforts no longer stand a chance today.
You're talking yourself into a ride. The fire for sport is still burning?
(Laughs). It's never gone, it's always burning. The passion is there.
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.