lunedì 23 gennaio 2017

Tandem interview with Ludwig Rieder and Patrick Rastner



Junior World Championships 2010 in Igls Ph: Rieder/Rastner
Fast&Cool: If I remember correctly, in 2017 you celebrate 10 years of career together. Tell us how did you meet and make a budget?
Hansjörg Raffl 
Ph: Günther Taschler
Ludwig Rieder: Our meeting was a bit special.. I was driving well in the single, when Hansjörg Raffl made me an offer: if I had passed to the doubles I would have had the chance to participate in the Junior World Championships in America! I had to choose a partner among three proposed folks. We spoke at length and he explained me the strengths and weaknesses of each. I knew Hansjörg has great experience and knows in detail the things he speaks about. After two or three days of reflection, I went to Patrick and asked him if he wanted to compete in the double with me... and he told me "Yes" immediately, without thinking twice! The next day we started right away very well. In these 10 years we have had many very difficult stages. We have fallen many times, but he is a person who always looks ahead. To work together, in the early years he had to "study" me, but now I have to observe and adapt myself to him. We have had also many beautiful moments, that I always remember with pleasure. We can say that we are a perfect double in every way!
Patrick Rastner: We met in the 2007 Junior Team. We have had many ups and downs, but we have always tried to improve and move forward.

Ph: Rieder/Rastner
F&C: Could you explain, from your point of view, the practical differences on the sled before and after Ludwig's eyes surgery (editor's note: Spring 2014)? How was it to adapt to the change?
L: The first season after surgery has been very hard for me: everything was different. The reference points that had set a year before were no longer suitable to my new way of seeing and I had to learn again and regain confidence. But now, I'm happy and I can say that the decision to tackle the operation has been good both for my life and for my sport.
P: I think he sees better the entrances and exits of the curves. Now he no longer needs to concentrate always to see well and can put the head flat, furthering our aerodynamics.

F&C: Compared to the team I met 11 years ago, today's Italian Luge National team is less constant in performance. Why, in your opinion? What do you do as a team and as individuals, to change this trend?
The Italian Luge National team 2016/17
L: Definitely we have a very difficult road ahead in all respects because our predecessors have won many medals. We have a rather heavy legacy on the shoulders, but we're young. We have not a track to train on and to make tests on the materials, we have no training center and our sport is professionalizing more and more. I think these are some of the reasons why we can not express ourselves to the top of our potential, but this team is growing day by day and I'm sure that in the future we'll be able to achieve a lot more. Be sure that we are doing everything possible to improve! ... We ask you to have just a little patience ...
P: We all are still young and lacks a bit of experience, particularly on the tracks in America, because we train there infrequently. We always try to be 100% focused from the first heat and then we talk very much and we compare ourselves to understand and correct mistakes.

Antonio Tartaglia
Mattias Schnitzer ph: Arthur Kofler

F&C: What has changed for you with the arrival of Antonio Tartaglia (editor's note: new physiotherapist) and Mattias Schnitzer (editor's note: new athletic coach)?
L: For us it has changed almost everything! We have learned so many new things, such as how to keep the body relaxed and how to work better. We have learned to feel more how our physical works and that we have to respect it. Also implement these aspects that nobody sees is usefull to improve.
P: Both of them are really good, they work so hard and try everything to help us to become faster. With Mattias we work so much on the start, to improve the speed. With Anthony we are becoming more loose on the sled. This helps us to feel better the vehicle and to commit less mistakes.
The 1st podium in Winterberg, November 30th 2013 Ph: Rieder/Rastner
F&C: Last Saturday in Sigulda you got your second podium in the senior World Cup (editor's note: the first was in Winterberg November 30th 2013). Which were your feelings?
The podium in Sigulda
L: For us, this podium is like a victory! The pressure we felt on our shoulders disappeared as by magic. We waited three long years for the second podium and we were really happy. This result is very good for the motivation, and confirms us that we have chosen the right path over the years. Now we want to keep growing. We know we are not in the position to make a podium at every race, but we want to reach that position 😀... and we don't want to wait three more years!
P: It's good to get on the podium, especially in this season in which it's really hard to beat the Germans, Americans and Austrians... This result gives us new motivation for the World Championships and the next races.

F&C: The start is one of your strong points, but in Sigulda drive well until the last meter is very important to get results ... and on Saturday you have driven well. What do you do to improve the driving phase?
25° Gitschberg Start Cup Meransen 2016
L: We know we have to always start quickly and we are surprised of the times that we set. We are aware to have made a big step forward in terms of aerodynamics due to new slide, especially in the last part of the track, but perhaps also the experience is starting to have its weight. Before and during the race we thought just to drive the curves in the smoothest possible way and to regain immediately speed. With the looseness that we have this year we can get more speed on the track. The special training we are doing for the coordination helps us a lot, but the best thing for us is to look at our "veterans" Oberstolz and Gruber, who always drive perfectly and from whom we can always learn so much!
P: The start is very important, especially on short tracks, because then you don't have much time to take back what you have lost in the starting phase. To improve guidance we make videos on the track and we look at Oberstolz/Gruber, because they are the best in driving. Even the coaches, who observe our heats, help us so much to gradually eliminate the mistakes we still make.

Sigulda 2017
F&C: In a week there will be the World Championships in Igls. One of the shorter tracks and on which a good start plays a fundamental role in the race budget. How do you get to this date? What do you think you can achieve?
L: I think that by next week we'll be able to show for what we worked throughout the year, and we are very hungry! Right now we are in good shape, maybe we have never been so well and thanks to this podium in Sigulda we are more motivated than ever! We want to risk it all and then we will see which placement we will get... We are happy and ready to make a good race!
P: We will try to start and ride well, and then we'll see.. we can be fast. Much depends also on the weather and therefore by the equipement we'll have to choose. I think that a ranking in the top six is realistic.



paola castaldi

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