The risk of contamination is no secret for athletes. Do you not prepare for such cases?

I'm probably one of the most cautious athletes. It was precisely because I knew that something like this could happen that I started keeping leftover food, such as meat, five years ago so that I would know the origin of any contamination if necessary. In the last two years, I have become even more cautious and have never accepted other people's drinking bottles, for example. As I became more successful, I had to undergo more doping controls, which I also approve of. But I always had the best conscience. But I always had a bad feeling about possible contamination. But I never thought about what it would be like if a test turned out positive because of something like that. And that probably wouldn't have done me any good either.

Did the first test result pull the rug out from under your feet precisely because you were so careful?

No, it was more because I really live the values I stand for. The most important value in my life was honesty. And so this was profoundly called into question. That broke me from one second to the next. I was accused of doping, which I myself am firmly against. On August 18, the day before the European Championships, we, the whole men's national team, rode e-scooters in downtown Munich and had a good time together. And in the afternoon, the report basically said that I had screwed over all my colleagues. That really got me down.

You usually have a direct manner and say things honestly. Why didn't you make a direct public statement after the bad news?

I wasn't able to do that at the beginning, I was in a very bad way. Basically, there wasn't too much to say at the beginning either. We all had to understand the complexity of the case first. It was always clear that I was innocent. I also communicated this in a media release after just under three weeks. However, the verdicts had been reached at this point and we had no facts to present for a long time because complex, ongoing proceedings were underway and we were waiting weeks and months for the decisions of the responsible institutions. Our credo was: if we communicate something, then we want to present facts. Anything else would have just given the people who had already prejudged me another unnecessary platform.

Even if the initial findings had turned out to be wrong and you had been allowed to ride again after two weeks, wouldn't the damage to you already have been too great?

If this "atypical finding" had been treated as such, I would certainly have been shocked too. It wouldn't have been the ideal preparation for the European Championships, but I could and would still have wanted to compete. Afterwards, however, I would have carried on as normal. I would have been able to deal with this strain and would certainly have ridden a good World Championships afterwards. But because the case was simply made public, too many dishes had already been broken.

You said that you received virtually no negative reactions

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Yes, in the mainstream media of course, but I wasn't allowed to read these comments at first. I was surprised at what was being written. After a few weeks, when I felt more stable again, I dared to read some of the comments. But every single negative comment almost ate me up. What do you think about me? Of the almost 400 messages that reached me personally after I had been offline for a few weeks, only two were negative. No abusive comments, but messages asking what this was all about and that I should now just take responsibility and admit it - from a journalist and a person I last saw ten years ago. The positive reactions, on the other hand, helped me to understand where I stood. But the negative ones dragged me down like lead.

How did you get out of this negative vortex?

The saying goes: "Time heals wounds". And that also applies in my case. I had to learn to accept the fact that I was associated with a positive doping test and that this is now part of my story. But that took months. My immediate environment played a very big part in my return. However, the many good messages from various people who made me feel that they were behind me and believed in my innocence were also important.

Did you never give up?

After I got over the initial shock, it was clear to me that I would never cycle again, let alone ride a race. And even later, whenever I thought about mountain biking, it gave me a stab in the heart. For a long time, I was also afraid of getting back on my bike, that what I loved doing so much might eat me up inside. At some point, I learned to hold on to individual positive messages, things and experiences, to analyze negative things but not to measure myself against them. All of this has built me back up bit by bit. But even after the lockdown was lifted in December, I had lows again and was close to giving up because the key organizations couldn't admit their mistakes. Despite everything, I'm incredibly proud of the adversity we, my team and I, have overcome and where we are now.

Don't you also feel betrayed when the organizations that actually stand for the law and clean sport are so uncooperative and make it even more difficult to come to terms with the situation?

Of course. And perhaps this story would have been off the table a long time ago. But even if everyone now knows that a lot has gone wrong since the beginning, I don't want to harp on about it. On the contrary, I offer my hand to ensure that the rest of the case is closed as soon as possible and that nothing like this happens again. If I hadn't had my strong environment, I don't know if I would still be here today. You fall so low psychologically when something like this happens; that's why it must never happen again!

How long did it take you to get back on the trails?

I felt the need early on, even when I was still in a slump. Initially, I was in a protected environment for a few weeks. After a while, when I was allowed out a bit every day, I went into the forest to build trails. My girlfriend Lisa or close friends always accompanied me. Just being out in the forest and building trails was good for me. And although the trails were designed for this purpose, I didn't associate them directly with mountain biking. At some point, however, I looked at these cool sections and jumps and thought, one day I want to ride these. Before that moment, however, I was afraid that one attempt might trigger something in me and I would never want to cycle again. The first ride after a break of over a month was then like a liberation. I felt that I was in the right place.

And this last fear disappeared before your first race start in Banyoles?

Although I knew that the general mood in the racing scene was positive towards me, I was actually a bit scared to show up there. The reactions on site when I took to the track for the first time on Friday were overwhelmingly positive and that gave me a lot of strength. The riders probably did the same, knowing that they too could have found themselves in such a situation.

In this race, you rode almost stronger than other years at the start of the season. How come?

The approval of my colleagues and the good feeling on the bike naturally freed me up mentally and gave me wings. But because I was out early last year, I also started training again earlier and, crucially, I was very grateful to be able to do that. Whereas other years I only prepared in the warmth of the south, this winter I trained at home in the rain and was happy to do so. And although I worked mostly at the base and hardly did any intensive training, things went all the better and I was able to compete for victory right up to the end.

So just the decision to ride was a success?

Starting the season earlier than planned was definitely a good decision and helped me to progress even further. The result was very good but secondary in the end. My success was simply to be back doing what we love so much together with my fellow racers.

Your debut in Switzerland, at your "actual" comeback race, with a second place in Gränichen went perfectly. Then came the victory on Monte Ceneri. Would you describe your start to the season as perfect?

I was pleased with the two results, but they are actually still secondary. First and foremost, I am very grateful for the way I was received in Gränichen. The fact that I then took second place and even won in Rivera naturally made my return all the better.

Your goals with a focus on the world championships are known, but what are your wishes?

That the worst is over. Not just for me, but for everyone around me. Lisa, my brother Lukas and my whole family have shared my fate. I also hope that this case will never be forgotten, not only for me but also as an example for many other athletes in similar situations.