GRÉGORY RAST
Trek- Segafredo’s reliable domestique on his 17- year professional career
I was 21 when I got my first pro
contract. I was a good U23 rider and I got a chance in the small ProConti Post Swiss team. It was a really good team in Switzerland at the time – basically the only one. Sponsorship stopped after the first year and I didn’t have the chance to switch to another pro team. I went back to under-23 racing with an amateur team. Michael Albasini and some other strong guys were there. We had a really good year then we both turned pro in 2003 with Phonak.
My first race was the Mallorca
Challenge in 2001. It was a big surprise. I came from the U23s where I was okay on the climbs and then the first day Tom Steels dropped me. I was like, ‘This is a sprinter, and I am a climber!’ I was so disappointed.
We had this whole Swiss team where it really was zero tolerance
[on drug use]. We didn’t get one pill, not even a cough tablet. It was good that we learned this way first.
When I was in Phonak they never asked me, ‘Do you want to do
something’. But in the end, you see it was pretty much a lot of gangsters there, I would say. It was not only in this team, it was others, but Phonak was maybe one of the worst. I really never saw that the riders did something.
I started cycling as a junior. I rode the Junior road worlds and I was at the Junior Cyclo-cross worlds. I was never a champion, but I was always there and I loved it.
I’m now 38 and I still love it. I think cycling is much better than it was. I’m happy, for example, the no needle policy is there. For me, it didn’t change anything, but I talk to some older guys and they ask, ‘What do you do for recovery?’ and I say, ‘We get a shake’ and they say, ‘No it’s not possible, you do a threeweek tour without any infusions?’ They don’t believe it, but when you do it, you know you can do it. I rode the Tour in 2009 with Armstrong and Contador at Astana. We had Johan Bruyneel as the sports director and whatever people say about this I don’t care: for me Johan was for sure the best sports director I ever had. When he said something everybody respected it. There was a situation where we said don’t attack, and Alberto attacked anyway. Lance was really angry with him. Lance always followed the plan of Johan. In the past we know what they did but in Astana we didn’t do anything – at least I didn’t - I can’t talk for the others.
Lance Armstrong was a huge thing and he was huge for cycling. When he was there the people were there. He came to ride the Tour de Suisse and they put us in a sh*tty hotel. He called them and said, ‘If you put us in a hotel like this again I’m gone,’ and the next day we were in a supernice chalet in the Swiss mountains. He had the power and he used it and I think also he deserved it at this time. For the Tour de Suisse it was also good that he was there.
My biggest win is a stage at the Tour de Suisse [in 2013]. We passed within 5km of where I lived. I was in a break with four guys. I was a bit lucky because some riders didn’t want to chase. I closed a lot of gaps to Bert Grabsch. He was pretty angry with me afterwards. We had been Phonak team-mates. I said to him, ‘I am sorry, but I also wanted to win this stage.’ Hayman was also in the break. He still jokes that I need to pay him something because he didn’t close the gap to me.
I was really happy when I went to Leopard with Fabian Cancellara in 2012. There was always a bit of pressure on me in the Classics, but I can do top 20, maybe top 10. Fabian wasn’t just someone to work for – every time he was there, he wanted to win. Now we also have a clear plan with Jasper Stuyven and John Degenkolb.
I’m starting to think about life after cycling. It’s normal when you are getting older, the situation is not getting easier. I would like to keep going for one more year.