Richard Moore catches up with Magnus Backstedt who at the tender age of 36 plans to return to racing.
Backstedt to lead Team UK Youth
Comebacks among retired cyclists are very much in vogue, and the latest to announce one is Magnus Backstedt, the Wales-based Swede who last week confirmed his plans to return to racing.
There's something a little different about Backstedt's comeback, though. For one thing, Backstedt, the 2004 winner of Paris-Roubaix, will be riding with a new squad, Team UK Youth. Which might seem a little strange: Backstedt will be 36 in January.
The other notable, and intriguing, aspect of Backstedt's comeback is his partnership with Nigel Mansell. The 1992 Formula One world champion and current president of UK Youth is the man who has made the team possible - which presumably means he is backing it financially.
Mansell's involvement owes to the fact that his sons, Greg, 23, and Leo, 25, are both keen cyclists. Indeed, they will be lining up alongside Backstedt in a team that plans to contest the top British races, including the televised Tour Series.
More on the Mansell boys in a moment. In the meantime, Backstedt, who retired in 2008, his body ravaged after thirteen seasons as a professional, is taking his return to action seriously. He left last week for a training camp in the south of Spain, where - as Britain freezes - he is currently racking up the miles.
The seed for the comeback was planted last year, when Backstedt took part in a charity 1300-mile ride around Britain. Also taking part were the Mansells. "I met Nigel on Jersey last year and he said he was thinking about organising an Everest expedition to honour UK Youth's centenary year," explains Backstedt.
"I said, what about riding your bikes around the UK? I helped organise it, and agreed to do it as a 'captain.' I also did London-Paris a couple of weeks before it, as preparation. And I guess it gave me the bug back. I thought, gosh, I quite enjoy riding my bike again. I started to pedal alright again, with no pain, no aches."
It had been a while since he'd felt that. Although Backstedt's final professional event was the 2008 Tour of Britain, in effect his career seemed to end on stage seven of that year's Tour de France. On undulating, rough roads, and with the peloton setting a fearsome pace - including his own Garmin team, ironically enough - Backstedt was dropped and faced a long, lonely battle to make the time limit in Aurillac. He missed it by four minutes.
"I was physically absolutely hammered when I retired," says Backstedt. "I was beaten into submission over a number of years by injuries.
"Both my shoulders are in a right mess, there's no question of that. But I'm not getting any grief from them at the moment.
"When I retired, it was because of the injuries. I couldn't take any more. But I feel it's worth another go. If it works out, fantastic. And if it doesn't, it doesn't."
Mansell's sons, says Backstedt, have potential, though he admits it'll be a "tall order" for them to win races. "They have taken to cycling like there's no tomorrow, and Greg has been putting out numbers that are unheard of for a guy his size," says Backstedt. "I think they can get results. If we can get Greg to 250m from the line then he's capable."
Though the British domestic scene might seem a step down for Backstedt, a Tour de France stage winner twelve years ago, he says he hasn't set a limit on his ambitions. "I don't know if my goals are set lower than they used to be, they're just slightly different. I wouldn't mind going and racing at a higher level again, but I'd like to build this team up to that level."
In any case, the chances are that Team UK Youth will have their work cut out in the top British races. Which is a positive comment on the healthy state of UK racing, with strong, well-supported teams such as Rapha-Condor-Sharp, Endura Racing (who have big ambitions for 2011) and Motorpoint, and an equally strong calendar.
It's something Backstedt has noted, and it's certainly a factor in persuading him to make a comeback. "There's just a massive boom in cycling in general, with the Premier Calendar races on Eurosport, the Tour Series on ITV4, the Tour of Britain," he says.
"It's great for sponsors, it's very competitive, and it's from kids to elites. I coached a couple of sessions in Jersey and seventy kids turned up on rainy Tuesday nights. My two little girls train in Cardiff and it's a similar story - it's great to see."
