Silvan Dillier became the Swiss Novice Road Race Champion for the first time in 2006. Since then, he has won various titles on the track and on the road. However, it was neither this nor his stage victory at the Giro d'Italia that made him famous in Switzerland, but his second place at Paris-Roubaix, the toughest bike race in the world.

By putting up a brave fight, you almost won a cycling monument this year and were only ultimately defeated in the final spurt by Peter Sagan. How did you find «your» day in April? Can you give us an insight into your race and how you were feeling?

I would say the Paris-Roubaix is the most beautiful race to be in the breakaway group. In the breakaway you don’t have to battle for position like in the peloton and can cycle at your own rhythm over the cobbled stones. I managed to escape from the rest with a few cyclists and was able to “comfortably” cycle along the cobblestone sectors. The fact that I ended up on the velodrome with Peter Sagan and had to sprint for the victory was a blessing and a curse at the same time. It was only by working together with him that I was able to fight for the victory but to win against him in the sprint was a Herculean task.

This year you started cycling for a French team. What are the biggest differences to your former Swiss employer, BMC? 

BMC had an American/English-Swiss philosophy. Everything was precisely planned, mistakes and problems were immediately analysed, and solutions sought. The French are more relaxed and family-oriented. We, too, are also cycling with my team AG2R La Mondiale in the highest league, the World Tour. There are therefore few changes to my racing calendar. However, I have less «competition» within the team and thus more freedom, so it is easier to take part in a competition such as the Paris-Roubaix. 

What does a professional cyclist’s training look like? 

For us, there is no such thing as a “normal” training week. We race between 80-100 days a year and are on the road around 200 days a year. At home it is all about recovering from the races. The scope of the training is either reduced (20hrs/week) and very intense, or up to 35 hours/week and more in the field of endurance. The type of training depends on the objectives of the next 2-3 races and the 1-2 highlights of the year.

By way of illustration, this is what my training protocol looks like a week before the Tour de France:

Mon: 2 h / 52-km relaxed bike trip with coffee break.
Tues: 4 h 30 min / 147 km trip with triathlete and training colleague Jan van Berkel, time trial intervals (4 x 8 min + 4 x 6 min + 4 x 4 min at a lower threshold range with a 2-3 min break between each one)
Wed: Travel to France, no training
Thurs: 1 h 45 min / 55-km relaxed bike trip
Fri: 1 h 45 min / 67-km tour of the team time trial route (stage 3 of the Tour de France)
Sat: 4 h 50 min / 204 km: stage 1 of the Tour de France
Sun: 4 h 25 min / 188 km: stage 2 of the Tour de France

What are your three most important training tips for amateur racing cyclists?

• 2.
  Train hard, only when you are outside your comfort zone will you get better.
• 4.
  Get enough recovery and listen to your body.
• 6.
  Cycling is a discipline in which not only the strongest wins but also the smart can succeed.

Do you have a secret tip you would be willing to share with us? 

If I had a secret tip for success, I would win every race, :-)! Train hard - race smart- race’s easy.

Pictures: Yves PERRET / www.ypmedias.com