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Benz-Kuch

Team Road

Max Benz-Kuch

Residence: Berlin
Age: 21
Height: 1,79 m
Rider type: Mountain
Previous teams: KED-Stevens Radteam

Who or what particularly motivated you to pursue a career in cycling?

Team Gerolsteiner was the origin of my enthusiasm for cycling. The former top racing team had its quarters in the same small Swabian village where I spent the first years of my childhood. As a young boy, I regularly saw the team’s top athletes and their impressive fleet of vehicles in the village. That’s how I ended up watching the Tour de France on TV in 2008 and got excited about it.

What are your goals for the coming season?

I want to establish myself in the new team and the whole new environment as a reliable force in the mountainous races and always get the maximum out of it for me and the team.

Do you have a role model?

Almost every rider in the World Tour has my recognition, because this road is very long and, above all, hard. I think the athletes from smaller, possibly poorer countries such as Colombia deserve special mention. These athletes often bring a very special drive with them – this phenomenon can also be transferred to other endurance sports, I’m thinking of marathon star Eliud Kipchoge, for example, or Egan Bernal for cycling. Athletes like them teach the sports world how to get to the finish line with a lot of humility and motivation.

What makes you stand out when you cycle?

I am always motivated and love to train a lot and hard. However, a lot doesn’t always help a lot, which is why I often have to be slowed down. In terms of sport, my strengths are definitely on the mountain. The rule here is: the longer the better!

What or who inspires you?

I am inspired by people who have achieved something in life with a lot of zeal. Furthermore, I find it absolutely admirable when a person is not always preoccupied with himself as an individual, but pays attention to his environment and appreciates the really important things in life.

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