18.02.2021

Interview with Marco Haller: »Season with Adria Mobil was a decisive one!«

Many great cyclists came through the ranks of Adria Mobil Cycling team, and one of them was surely Marco Haller. The great Austrian cyclist wore our jersey in the season 2011 and he excelled, so much so that he signed a deal with Katusha Cycling the next year. Now Marco rides with Bahrain Victorious, but he still remembers his time in Novo Mesto.

Marco, how are you?

I am doing good, thanks. I can not wait untill this new season finally starts!

How do you feel in the Bahrain Victorious team?

It's a great team with great ambitions, so it also matches my personal goals perfectly. Furthermore, I am happy to ride again for Milan Eržen who was my sport director when I was at Adria Mobil.

Which victory means the most to you?

The biggest one was certainly the stage win in Beijing, where I was able to beat Petacchi and Viviani, but also the national championship in 2015, because you wear this beautiful jersey for an entire year.

How many times a week do you train and what does your training look like? How would you compare training when you were in Adria Mobil and now as a World Tour cyclist?

Basically you are training every day. Only if there is bad weather and you have a rest day you may skip the recovery ride. Training hasn't really changed since I was at Adria as we had perfect support and training camps like in the World Tour.

You were in many other sports at a young age (ice-hockey, football, Alpine skiing) before starting cycling. Why cycling?

Simply because I had the biggest success at cycling and as a kid you just want to win - if it’s at Monopoly or any sport.

We often talk about classic cycling comparisons such as the highest speed, longest ride, the most difficult climb, the most difficult training, … Can you share your numbers with us?

My numbers are all open on Strava and I also give a lot of behind-the-scene views on Instagram.

What is your motto?

Enjoy what you do.

How did you feel in the Adria Mobil cycling club?

For me it already felt like being a proper professional. Obviously I still had to learn a lot back then, but if someone asks me, I always say that the year at Adria Mobil was the decisive one to make it to the World Tour.

Would you point out any special event or person that happened to you while cycling in the Adria Mobil cycling team?

A team is a team because everybody counts! But obviously, as I don't speak Slovenian, I was lucky enough to have Blaž Jarc around me. He always helped me out and took care of me.

What would you like us to know about you?

Always tricky to answer such questions.

What do you think is the most important thing in cycling?

Commitment and endurance - not only on your bike but also with your lifestyle.