Friday, March 29, 2024

Michael Mørkøv – “My goal is to be a strong helper for Kristoff”

-

HomeInterviewsMichael Mørkøv - "My goal is to be a strong helper for...
Michael Mørkøv
Michael Mørkøv.

Is Katusha’s former Danish Elite Road Champion Michael Mørkøv the unluckiest man in Paris-Roubaix?

Puncturing out of the break from which Matt Hayman went on to win the race…

Mørkøv is in good shape; top 10 in a brutal Gent-Wevelgem and top 20 in the Three Days of De Panne despite being at the service of Katusha team leader, Alex Kristoff.

Who’s to say how he would have fared had he not deflated on the cruel pavé?

VeloVeritas spoke to former Vuelta stage winner, World Madison Champion, Olympic medallist and Six Day star just before the Hell of the North, here’s what Michael had to tell us;

Have you turned Belgian yet Michael, with all this time you’re spending in the Flatlands?

“No, I’m still Danish but I love to stay here.

“We’ve been staying in Kortijk, it’s a nice city and the people are nice here too.”

Gent-Wevelgem looked super tough – you took 10th.

“My race went like I hoped it would but we didn’t have Alex Kristoff, he was sick so we had no leader – that meant it gave to rest of us in the team our chance to ride our own race.

“I hung in there and was at the head of the race when it exploded and the racing really started.”

Michael Mørkøv
Michael’s (l) role in the team is to work for Alex Kristoff. Photo©Team Katyusha

But no Copenhagen Six Day for you in 2016…

“No ‘home’ Six for me, no.

“I had to miss that because I was riding the Tour of Qatar; it was the first time in 10 years, but on the other hand my brother, Jesper won the race with Alex Rasmussen – which was nice – and Qatar set me up to have the good spring I’m having right now.”

Do you think the desert races are essential preparation for the northern spring races?

“I don’t know if I’d say ‘essential’ but it’s clear that it’s a better place to be than in the cold of North Europe.

“The thing with them is that you have to go with how the race unfolds; you obviously can’t predict that – when you’re training you can customise your training.

“That said the races are very good preparation, they give you speed but not strength – however I gained in that department when I rode Paris-Nice.”

You rode that dramatic Milan-Sanremo, what was your role?

“The expectation on me wasn’t so high as I perhaps didn’t ride at my best in Paris-Nice but I came out of it in good shape.

“My job was to ride before the Cipressa for Alex but I felt good and strong enough to ride for him on the Poggio too – if I’d saved just a little I think I could have pulled in the sprint, too.”

You rode well in De Panne too, top 20 – that first stage looked rapid.

“There are no easy races in Belgium; De Panne was tough from kilometre zero with it splitting and echelons forming all day – a demanding day.

“Days two and three were a bit more controlled because they were going to end in sprint finishes but my shape for this spring is my best ever for this time of year.

“Going to the Katusha team has been good for me – I’ve bloomed!”

Michael Mørkøv
Michael worked hard in the Ronde. Photo©http://cykelmagasinet

How was de Ronde – you were 29th…

“The Koppenberg was very slippery and I ended up having to walk but my team mate Marco Haller helped me back and I was with the favourites on the Oude Kwaremont for the last time.

“I did a lot of work in trying to pull that break of Sagan and Kwiatkowski back…”

When’s your Roubaix reconnaissance?

“We do that on Thursday after the Scheldeprijs.

“The Scheldeprijs can be very dangerous but less so if you’re at the front racing for the win and avoiding the crashes behind.

“This will be my fifth Paris-Roubaix, it’s a really special race, it’s beautiful but I used to hate it, with the risk of crashing and injury but these last couple of years I look forward to it, I understand it now.

“The Arenberg Forest is the most difficult section, really bad but luckily it’s early so it’s usually not decisive.”

Can Alex win in Roubaix?

“His shape is getting better and he’s timed it nicely to peak for Roubaix – he’s very strong and will be going for the win. [Kristoff would eventually finish 48th on the day with Michael 50th].”

What will be the bike be for the pavé?

“I’ll ride my Canyon Ultimate rather than my aero bike, I’ll be on my usual Zipp wheels, 28 mm tyre on the front, 30 mm on the back – the bike has enough clearance for them and I’ll ride 44/53 chainrings.”

There seems so little between the top guys these days.

“Those are my thoughts, the levels are so close and the decisions so narrow, it’s not like the days when we were all waiting on Boonen and Cancellara making their move.

“Sagan is obviously very strong but there other guys winning a lot more – there’s more than just one or two strong men.”

Michael Mørkøv
Michael (centre) had to skip his beloved home Six Day this year. Photo©Ed Hood

What’s next?

“I’ll have a rest after Roubaix then it’s the Tour of Yorkshire, California, Suisse and Tour de France.”

What goals did you set for this season?

“I’ve achieving them right now; to be a strong helper for Alex in the spring races – and then in the Tour de France.

“The Olympics isn’t on my list, the parcours is too hilly for me and the Olympic track requires too much time for qualification – and there’s not really disciplines in the programme which suit me.

“The road Worlds in Qatar is something that interests me though…”

Michael Mørkøv
Hopefully we’ll see Michael at the Tour of Britain again. Photo©Ed Hood
Ed Hood
Ed Hood
Ed's been involved in cycling for over 50 years. In that time he's been a successful time triallist, a team manager and a sponsor of several teams and clubs. He's also a respected and successful coach and during the winter months was often working in the cabins at the Six Days for some of the world's top riders. Ed remains a massive fan of the sport and couples his extensive contacts with an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the minutiae and the history of our sport. In February 2023 however, our dear friend and beloved colleague Ed suffered a devastating stroke and faces an uncertain future; Ed has lost his ability to speak, to read, and has lost movement on the right side of his body. He's working with speech and physical therapists on rehabilitation, but all strokes are different and each patient responds differently, so unfortunately recovery is one day at a time. Ed ran his own business installing windows, and will probably not be able to work again. Please consider joining us to make a contribution to Ed's GoFundMe page to help stabilise and secure his future.

Related Articles

Paul Martens – Tour of Luxemburg 2013 Winner

Who’s Paul Martens? He’s a solid professional, comes from Rostock in Germany and rides for Belkin. And back in June he joined that exclusive club of national tour winners, taking the Tour of Luxembourg – a result rather lost in the pre-Tour hysteria.

Chris Smart – “the Tour de Trossachs is everything a time trial should be”

It was that master of the ‘sporting’ time trial parcours, Chris Smart who again took the honours in Sunday’s classic Tour de Trossachs time trial, adding his name once again to a roll call that read like a ‘who’s who’ of Scottish Cycling – Billy Bilsland, Robert Millar, Graeme Obree and the late, great Jason MacIntyre.

Scott Thwaites – “My 2014 goal is that elusive first Pro win”

The last time we spoke to NetApp-Endura’s Scott Thwaites was in the spring of 2013, just after he’d finished in fifth place in the Handzame Classic and seventh spot in le Samyn – both hard races in brutal conditions. For 2014 he’s already back in the groove again with a podium place on stage one of the Three Days of West Flanders.

Eileen Roe – Third in Dwars Doors Vlaanderen 2016

A result which caught our eye during the Classics season was Valleyfield girls Eileen Roe’s third place in Dwars Door – ‘best have a word’ we thought...

At Random

The VV View: We’re Disappointed in You, Gabriele Bosisio

"Our pal Bosisio positive,' said the text from Dave. Gabriele Bosisio of LPR Brakes and Italy was the subject of a UCI out of competition test; "the adverse finding was a direct result of a targeted urine test, conducted immediately after a blood test triggered an unusual blood profile within the biological passport program," said their statement.

Jody Warrington – How Riders Can Cope in a ‘Lockdown’

In the overall scheme of the world’s current predicament, guys not being able to race their bikes doesn’t even register but if you’ve been training all winter to realise goals you set yourself for the season and overnight they’re plucked from your grasp it’s not easy to handle. We spoke to one of the most respected coaches in the area, Jody Warrington about how riders can cope with ‘lockdown.’

Musical Chairs – Tomás Swift-Metcalfe Blog

I haven’t raced since September 1st. I’ve been working hard though, on Swift Momentum Sports (SMS), and restoring an old building and of course, some training. SMS is doing pretty well. I’m glad to have shown people some fantastic cycling and running, as well as to have trained some very good athletes. My professional cycling career, however is pretty much over. I wasn’t renewed for the 2014 season.

Andreas Müller – “I Could Ride Madisons All Day!”

It's hard to break into the six day circuit; but if there's a local rider with promise or a road star that needs mentoring then there has to be a rider on the circuit to provide hands on guidance. Enter Austria's Andreas Müller. Müller was a member of the German track squad during the last decade with strong results, like silver in the 1999 Moscow World Cup team pursuit; Madison bronze in the Chinese round of the World Cup in 2002 and Madison gold in the Moscow and Sydney rounds of the 2003 World Cup.