Brazil is not a country that enjoys the same cycling traditions as France, Italy or Belgium. Most...
Champagne time for Murilo Fischer (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Cycling's Samba King
Brazil is not a country that enjoys the same cycling traditions as France, Italy or Belgium. Most people prefer football as a sport, Brazil having won the World Cup a record five times. However, Brazilian rider and Naturino Sapore di Mare team member Murilo Fischer is beginning to put his country on the road cycling's world map. Cyclingnews' Hernan Alvarez spoke with Fischer as he relaxed at home about the highs of 2005 and the direction Brazilian cycling is taking.
He comes from a country without a tradition in cycling, so Fischer was doing something a bit different by taking up the sport seriously. "I started riding mountain bikes in July 1995. I did this until the end of 1996, then in '97 I began road cycling," said Fischer. When talking about his passion for the bike, he states "Love is born and nobody knows why. I liked bicycles since I was a kid. I liked bikes and I always went riding with friends to the cross circuits starting at five, six years old. During that time, I always rode bikes, and when I was a bit older, my father brought me a mountain bike as a gift so I started riding it."
Coming from Brusque, in the southern state of Santa Catarina, where he lives when not competing, Fischer enjoys the lifestyle offered by his home country, but realises that Europe is where he needs to be in order to compete against the world's best. The 26-year-old ended the 2005 season by winning the Trofeo Citta Di Castelfidardo, Giro del Piemonte, Milano-Vignola (GP Beghelli) and GP Industria & Commercio Di Prato, plus two Uniqa Classic stages and stage 3 of the Tour of Qinghai Lake. He was second in the Giro del Lazio and the Uniqa Classic, third in the GP Industria & Artigianato and Coppa Bernocchi. This string of strong results, particularly during the latter half of the season helped him win the UCI Europe Tour with 748 points.
