NAME:
Daniel Schmatz
DATE
OF BIRTH: 05-21-1974
HOMETOWN:
Ballwin, MO.
RESIDENCE:
Longmont, CO.
HEIGHT:
5'10"
WEIGHT:
174 lbs.
STLBiking-
How did you first get interested in cycling?
DS-
My first ride was at the age of 4. I road a little BMX
bike down my parents driveway straight into the
mailbox. I lost a few teeth but looking back it was
worth it. Then I learned to turn and started racing
BMX when I was 13 or so. That lasted a few years till
high school sports took over. My junior year I met Jeff
Powell (old school STL. MTB racer.) and he took to me
some MTB races, but after a couple years of MTB racing
alcohol took over. I quit riding for about two years
till I met Mark at Ballwin Cycles. He gave me a job
and I started riding and racing on the road. In
December of 95' I quit drinking and started taking
racing seriously.
STLBiking-
When did you realize that you could make a living
working in the industry?
DS-
I will let you know when I think you can. LOLNo, you
can do it but you have to love it. The bottom line is
you have to love bikes whether you are working at a
shop, for a bike company, or racing professionally.
Nobody does it for the money, if that was the case the
industry would disappear.
STLBiking-
What prompted you to leave the St. Louis area?
DS-
I had just gone through a relationship change and
wasn't really progressing as a racer. I had been to
Boulder in 95' to visit my sister and really liked it.
On the same trip I toured the Schwinn Headquarters and
met some of the employees, I really like it and
thought it would be a great place to work. In January
of 98' Kerry and I came out and spent a week trying to
find jobs. A month later we packed up and made the
move from University City to Boulder. Once we got
there Schwinn didn't hire me and I had to work in a
bike shop for a few months but the inside sales
manager at Schwinn couldn't resist my weekly phone
calls and finally hired me.
STLBiking-
What type of cycling did you excel in first?
DS-
I was always pretty good at both road and MTB racing
but I didn't win very often. I wasn't until this past
season that I really excelled and found my place in
bicycle racing.
STLBiking-
Does that mean you won races this year?
DS-
Yeah, this past season was great. I had 25 top 5
finishes including 15 victories.
STLBiking-
Were any of the wins better than the others?
DS-
It always feels good to win but the Lafayette Crit at
the Gateway Cup and the third stage of the NRC race in
Texas were my favorites.
STLBiking-
How did you land a position on the 7UP/Nutra-fig team?
DS-
I worked really hard this season to improve my speed
and race tactics and it really paid off. I also had
some great teammates that helped me get to the end of
races so I could prove myself on the national circuit.
STLBiking-
Did any of your teammates get professional contracts
for 2002?
DS-
Yeah, Alex Candelario signed with Prime Alliance and
Chuck Coyle will be my teammate again on the 7UP/Nutra-fig
team. Keep your eyes of Chuck in 2002, he is going to
rock!
STLBiking-
What is your key role on 7UP/Nutra-fig team?
DS-
I am a sprinter and will specialize in criteriums,
short stage races, and flat road races.
STLBiking-
What are you doing to prepare for the season?
DS-
I am riding 12-15 hours a week and lifting weights
twice a week. Later this month I will add about 5 more
hours per week. In February I will start working on my
top end and then the season starts in March. I have
also been losing weight all winter and I should be
down to about 167 by March.
STLBiking-How
would you compare the 7UP/Nutra-fig team to other
national touring teams?
DS-
I think we will be the surprise of the 2002 season. We
don't have quite as many superstars as some of the
other teams but have a great mix of talent and
experience as well as some really aggressive Criterium
racers.
STLBiking-Does
the 7UP/Nutra-fig team team plan to travel abroad to
Europe this season?
DS-
No, our main focus is on the NRC events, but don't be
surprised if you see a few 7UP jerseys in St. Louis
from time to time.
STLBiking-
Looking back at your cycling career, is there anything
you might have done differently?
DS-
That is an easy question, YES. In the past 10 years I
have raced for about half of them. I quit cycling for
about two years on two different occasions. I can't
complain though, I had a tremendous learning
experience watching Kerry race that may have not have
happened if things were different.
STLBiking-
Is there any detailed advice you could pass on to
young junior riders that would speed up their progress
in both road and mountain biking?
DS-
I don't really have much advice to give young riders.
My only advice is for all the experienced and veteran
racers. We need to extend our hands to all new
cyclists, especially women and juniors. The elitist
attitude that is given off in both the road and MTB
racing scene turns off many newcomers. If we want the
cycling to grow we have to make it easy for people to
ask us questions and be willing to take the time to
give advice.
STLBiking-
Has Armstrong's success in the Tour De France created
greater awareness in cycling as a whole? Or is it
still too narrow and unknown?
DS-
It is hard to say. Lance has been on Dave Letterman
and ESPN talks about the Tour for about 10 seconds
during each stage but I don't think most Americans
really understand the magnitude of what Lance has done.
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