Jaroslaw Marycz - The Unbreakable Optimist
Saxo Bank | November 1, 2011
The third rider in this late season series of interviews is 24-year old Jaroslaw Marycz. He has been with the team since January 2010 and recently renewed his contract with one year. In April, he was a solid support for Nick Nuyens during Ronde van Vlaandern and he has proven to be a highly appreciated team rider known for his fighting spirit, his charisma and sense of humor:
“Right now, I'm spending time with my family and I help my girlfriend taking care of our son as much as I possibly can. Even though he's only six month old, I have challenged him in a dare. In the two previous years, I had problems during the teambuilding because I'm a bad swimmer, so now we're both training in the swimming pool to see who's going to learn how to swim first, “says the multiple Polish national time trial champion with a smile on his face and continues:
“My second year with Saxo Bank-SunGard has been a successful one. I kept developing myself. I have improved a lot and become stronger simply by riding bigger races. I've a had a great race program doing big races such as Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Tour de Swiss and gained important experience and build up stamina. But I'm especially proud of my grand Tour debut in the Vuelta a Espana. I've been away in numerous breakaways during the season and a lot of times, I've practically been caught on the finish line. But that's how cycling is. I'll never stop trying. If you stop trying, you'll never win and I really want that victory. No one would have thought that Voeckler (Thomas) would last that long in the mountains wearing the yellow jersey but he kept fighting and he's one of the biggest surprises of the season. His performance also demonstrates that cycling in general has become unpredictable and the competition is tougher. That results in a much more exciting race for the viewers and spectators and I support that,” says the Polish rider and addresses his most memorable moment of the season:
“I'll never forget this year's Tour of Flanders. It was an important victory for the team and for Nick and I'm proud of supporting such a great rider. But I'm also going to remember the race for its unique atmosphere at the start and alongside the Belgian roads. It was phenomenal experiencing such an enthusiastic crowd and fans going berserk. Everyone's just happy to be there, and I truly enjoy being in the ring of the circus and I love being cheered on and the hectic scenery. Two weeks after the race, Milena (Jaroslaw's girlfriend) gave birth to our first son, Marcel and gave me the best gift and moment I ever had,” comments Jaroslaw.
The Saxo Bank-SunGard Pole is a powerful all-rounder and will be an important team rider in 2012 and Jaroslaw is looking forward to a number of things during the season:
“From the first teambuilding session in 2009, I've been very happy to be at Saxo Bank-SunGard and I'm looking forward to another great season with the team in 2012. Hopefully, I'll take my first pro victory but most importantly, I hope the best for the team and that we'll succeed overall. The summer of 2012, I'll be looking forward to the European soccer championship on Polish and Ukrainian ground and I know that Denmark has qualified as well. Everyone in Poland seems to be thinking that the Polish national team will have a chance of winning. I just want to see far they'll come in the tournament,” the Polish rider concludes with a grin.