Movistar rider wants to put an ordinary 2011 behind him after discovering coeliac disease
Team Movistar’s Jose Ivàn Gutierrez has an indifferent season in 2011. The Spanish rider, who will celebrate his 33rd birthday on November 27th, began the year in the jersey of Spanish champion, having won the title in 2010, but was unable to live up to the expectations that came with the red and gold stripes.
“2011 was for sure my worse season,” said Gutierrez. “I was feeling bad physically and mentally for most of the season, which did not allow me to obtain the results I expected. The medical tests I made in September to try and understand which my problem was explained what was happening to me and gave me the solution to fell well.
“I am suffering from coeliac disease,” he explained, “which means that I have to follow a gluten-free diet. Now that I eliminated products like wheat and oats from my alimentation I feel perfectly well again. It is something very simple in fact but the problem was to know what it was about!”
Now that he understands what was going wrong in 2011, Gutierrez can seek to put things right next year.
“To know why I wasn’t able to get good results in 2011 is very important”, he said. “Now that my problem has a solution, I feel very motivated when I’m thinking about next season.
“I want to win a stage race as soon as possible, to come back at my best level in time trials, to help my team in the Tour [de France] and be part of the national team for the London Olympic Games.”
Gutierrez’ last race of 2011 was the GP Ouest France-Plouay at the end of August and, while he is doing things as normally as possible, his early finish to the season means that he is further ahead than most in his 2012 preparation.
“I am training like every cyclist at this time of the year,” he explained, “going to the fitness centre, swimming and riding my MTB. But considering the fact that I stopped my season earlier that most other athletes, I’ve already started riding my road bike too. My motivation is so big. It makes things much easier.”
Just as he did in 2011, Gutierrez will kick off his 2012 season at the Tour Down Under; he hopes that his early start to road training will give him a head start over the competition.
“I will already be ahead in Australia, at my best level, ready to start a great season,” he concluded.