Unsung heroes of the Tour de France: Michael Schär wants to make you smile

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Throughout the Tour de France, VeloNews will be speaking to some of the unsung heroes of the peloton – those riders who fight every day without the recognition that big GC favorites or sprint stars receive.

The Tour de France isn’t just about cycling, according to Michael Schär.

For the Swiss taking part in his 11th Grande Boucle for Ag2r-Citroën, the biggest cycling race in the world is about making people smile.

Seeing a smiling face by the side of the road is worth it.

“It’s more than just pedaling. But to explain this, it is really difficult. Although our sport has evolved in just 11 years that I have played, I think the essence of it is still the same. The essence of sport is to make people smile, ”said Schär VeloNews.

Read also : Unsung hero of the Tour de France: Jacopo Guarnieri balancing single parenthood and racing

“When you do a stage of the Tour, the people standing by the side of the road, sometimes they wait six hours, sometimes they camp for two days to wait for you to arrive. And that little moment when the bunches come in, it lasts maybe 30 seconds, maybe a minute, maybe longer on the mountain, but it’s short for the whole long wait. So there isn’t much.

“That’s what makes me happy, is that I do a job that makes so many people have a moment of joy, this moment of joy. You can see it when you ride in the peloton, look at the people taking a moment out of the race. And you see they are all smiling. They are all happy. And that’s pretty cool.

It’s not something he thought of when he made his Tour de France debut in 2011 at the age of 24. Instead, he has something he has grown to appreciate as he gets older.

When you’re young, it’s easy to get caught up in what to do. However, time and experience have made Schär appreciate the little things.

Read also : Unsung heroes of the Tour de France: Lukas Pöstlberger – big beats, pizza in the grupetto

“At first, you don’t really have time to get out of the whole bubble for a little while. But years after years, you’ve seen it. You have a little distance from the whole sport and then you start to enjoy different things. You think it is a pretty castle or a nice bridge, you take the time to look around you or to learn a little about the region beforehand. It’s something I had to learn to see, ”he said.

Fans are back on the roads of this year’s Tour de France after a 2020 edition where there was hardly any. However, this is not quite what it was before the coronavirus infiltrated our lives.

One of Schär’s defining moments in his Tour de France career was when the race shifted to Yorkshire in 2014.

Read also : Unsung heroes of the Tour de France: Jonas Rickaert – school prankster, star leader

“What happened there was almost too big for the sport. That year in England, Britain, Yorkshire, then London, it was just crazy, ”Schär said with a laugh. “So many people and we were in the middle of it. It was almost too much. I got home or hotel and just had to grab my headphones. Try to relax a bit as my ears hurt. But then I realized, wow, something was going on.

The magic of offering bottles

As a servant, Schär is normally not a rider used to making headlines, but he did so earlier this year when he became the first victim of the UCI’s new retiree ban. cans outside designated areas.

The decision to disqualify Schär from the Tour of Flanders for throwing a bottle has proven controversial and has led many riders to recount their own memories of receiving or giving away a bottle. Schär also shared his story on social media to a wave of support from fans and fellow riders.

Ultimately, the UCI relaxed its restrictions on when and where riders can throw bottles at fans – keeping alive a part of cycling that Schär says is an integral part of the sport.

“Our bottles belong to the spectators, and that makes so many children dream and so many happy children. That’s what got me hooked to the sport, and I think a lot of people cling to it the same way, ”said Schär. VeloNews. “Even the Tour de France makes it an economic model. The caravan is the very essence of giving small gadgets to spectators. I think it’s part of our sport. If we lose connectivity to be close to spectators, then we are losing the last little thing we have.

“Honestly, I’m pretty proud of what’s going on because the rule has changed. I think I was the first and the last guy to be disqualified. With what I’ve written about my life story it was nice to see the reaction and now we’re allowed to throw the bottle in a more sensible way.

The story of the Schär bottle happened when he was one of those smiling roadside fans. A little moment during a trip to the Jura mountains to attend the Tour de France with his family allowed to ignite the spark which pushed him to become professional.

“I remember that I was a child, that I went with parents to the Jura to watch the Tour de France for the first time and I was lucky to have one of these bottles,” he said. he declares. “It was a bottle of Casino and it lasted a very, very long time with me. I trained with it everyday and was proud of this bottle. I think this is one of the puzzles that made me become a cyclist.

“I also have a little girl in my village and once I gave her a bottle a few years ago, at the Tour de Suisse when we passed, and she still talks about it every day, years afterwards and I want to say, it’s just too cool. Small things mean the world.

Appreciating the little things around the Tour de France – the real meaning of sharing bottles and other memories – is something that came to Schär as he grew older.

“The first time I turned pro I was so stressed and so worried about myself that I didn’t think about people who might be able to grab my bottle,” said Schär. “In recent years, I have realized the value. We have this power, we have this bottle. So I always choose who I give it to. Sometimes I drive a few miles, like 10 or 20, in piles with empty bottles just to find the right time with the right family, the right kids, the right situation where it’s harmless to please someone.

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