Frank Vandenbroucke: I just want to be a rider again.

26.01.2008/ Frank Vandenbroucke signed with Mitsubishi - Jartazi. The 33 year old seems to feel good after the problems he had in the past years. An interview with Frank Vandenbroucke: "I just want to be a rider again."

VDB has a "serious hunger for competition." © Cyclingheroes

Cyclingheroes: I had the feeling that you felt really well with Aqua & sapone...

Frank Vandenbroucke: Yes, I stayed for a while with the Masciarelli family and they took care of me. It was a nice year. Of course I had problems with my knee I could not ride a lot of races, but now I am riding with a new team.

Cyclingheroes: How is your knee doing at the moment?

Frank Vandenbroucke: We worked hard on it this winter, with my physiotherapist, Lieve Maesschalck and my knee is in good condition now.

Cyclingheroes: You have a kind of rollercoaster career with many highs and many lows... What are you capable of at the moment?

Frank Vandenbroucke: I came back to Belgium and live with my parents again. Psychologically and mentally I am the old vandenbroucke again. Now I have to see if I will have the same feeling on my bike at the races. During our training camp everybody said that I was very strong. I did not have that impression. Everybody said he is back but I don't want to put to much pressure on myself. W'll see how it will work out. The first races will be important and if there are no health problems I will be ready and w'll see what happens.

Cyclingheroes: Although you have had a few seasons where things did not work out very well for you, you are still very popular, some even say Vandenbroucke is a phenomenon. Do you have an explanation for that?

Frank Vandenbroucke: I think I won a few races in a way like a phenomenon does. Thats not nothing. But of course thats a long time ago and my ambition is to be able to do it again one day. Another reason could be that in a way my 'route' is unique but I am not the only person who have had a lot of problems. I was at an absolute low and maybe a lot of people see themselves in somebody like me.

Frank Vandenbroucke during our interview (© Cyclingheroes)

Cyclingheroes: Do you already know what will be your first race this season?

Frank Vandenbroucke: Yes, my first race will be the GP Marseillaise at February 3. After that I will race the Etoile de Besseges, the Mediterranean, Hautvar and then the first Belgian weekend [Omloop Het Volk and Kuurne – Brussels – Kuurne, editor].

Cyclingheroes: With Mitsubishi as the new sponsor its actually a new team. Do you think the team will grow to something bigger and that you will play a role in that in the future?

Frank Vandenbroucke: That is of course what I am hoping for and what the team is hoping for. That we can build up something and that we will achieve something together. This team has a lot of ambition. We are Pro-Continental now [Last year the team had a continental license and rode under the name Jartazi, editor] so I think we will start at most important races. Of course you never know where you will start with the pro-Tour nowadays. But I will have to think about myself as well. I hope I can give the team a lot. I have a lot of experience. The team also has a beautiful good name: Mitsubishi is a multinational company. At the moment we are sponsored by the Belgian subsidiary but maybe it will grow. For instance to Mitsubishi Europe. The sponsor of the team is good, the team is good. They do everything to make it a beatiful year.

Cyclingheroes: You have already won a lot of races, what more do you absolutely want to accomplish in your career?

Frank Vandenboucke: Maybe people think its a lack of ambition but I just want to be a rider again. In the last three or four years where not good at all. My last good season was in 2003... 2004. I was second at the 2003 Tour of Flanders and I was good when I was with Fassa Bortolo. I want to reach that level again. A protagonist in the final of a big race and if you are riding on that level you can always win. But first and most of all I want to reach a level that I can ride on a reasonable level again and if I can do that I will be happy.

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Frank Vandenbroucke

Birthdate: November 11, 1974

Place of birth: Moeskroen, Belgium

Height 1.79 mtr.

Weight: 67 kg.

Turned pro: 1994

Teams

1993 - 1994 Lotto-Caloi

1995           Lotto Isoglass (until 31.03)

1995 - 1997 Mapei - GB (from 01.04)

1998           Mapei - Bricobi

1999 - 2000 Cofidis

2001           Lampre - Daikin (until 31.05)

2002           Domo - Farm Frites

2003           Quickstep - Davitamon

2004           Fassa Bortolo (until 12.08)

2004           Mr. Bookmaker.com - Palmans (from 13.08)

2005           Mr. bookmaker.com - SportsTech

2006           Unibet.com (until 18.07)

2006           Aqua et Sapone (from 28.08)

2007           Aqua et Sapone

2008           Mitsubishi - Jartazi

Palmares

1994

Stage 6 Tour de Mediterraneen

1995

GP Cholet - Pays de la Loire

Stage 1 Tour de Luxembourg

Paris - Brussels

1996

Binche - Tournai - Binche

GP Quest France

Schelde prijs Vlaanderen

Stage 5 Tour de Mediterraneen

Overall Tour de Mediterraneen

Trofeo Laigueglia

Prologue Tour of Austria

Stage 3 Tour of Austria

Stage 6 Tour of Austria

Stage 8 Tour of Austria

Stage 9 Tour of Austria

Overall Tour of Austria

Prologue Tour de region de la Wallonne

Stage 2 Tour de region de la Wallonne

Stage 5 Tour de region de la Wallonne

1997

Trofeo Matteotti

Rund um Köln

Stage 2 Tour of Austria

Stage 4 Tour of Austria

Stage 8 Tour of Austria

Stage 4 Tour de Luxembourg

Overall Tour de Luxembourg

1998

Prueba Villafranca de la Ordizia

Gent - Wevelgem

Stage 1 Paris - Nice

Stage 5 Paris - Nice

Overall Paris - Nice

Stage 4 Vuelta a Galega

Overall Vuelta a Galega

Stage 3 Tour de la Region Wallonne

Stage 6 Tour de la Region Wallonne

Overall Tour de la Region Wallonne

Stage 4 Volta a Galicia

Overall Volta a Galicia

1999

GP d'Ouverture

Stage 4 Vuelta a Andalucia

Omloop Het Volk

Stage 7 Paris - Nice

Liège - Bastogne - Liège

Stage 3b Dreidaagse van De Panne

Stage 16 Vuelta a Espana

Stage 19 Vuelta a Espana

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