Speaking of Vögeli: Before you became a professional, he said you would not even come across a level crossing.

I loathed the mountains, at 85 kilos I was much too heavy. There are hardly any types of drivers like me today. Much more emphasis is placed on endurance. I liked to treat myself to a beer in the evening, and was not the hardest-working – more of a grüetsmoore. Sometimes I called a colleague in front of a unit and asked him: « Do you already see a cloud in the sky with you? Do we want to stay at home better? » ( laughs ) It used to be a lot different.

And better?

Oh no, the level anyway. We were professionals, but we behaved like amateurs. Only what we ate – was catastrophic, actually complete nonsense. The morning before Paris – Roubaix there was rice and steak, plus café complet. After entering the finish we drank four glasses of cola, then there was a bun and maybe dry cheese, which had to last until night. We also wore jerseys made of wool, which was terribly itchy. And that wasn't even the worst.

But?

At the Giro we drove up the Gaviapass, it was snowing and so cold that the translation was no longer working, it was frozen. Once at the top, I drank hot tea with cognac, the rest I poured over the circuit to thaw it. I didn't even have proper rain protection with me. These were legendary times.