Fabian Wegmann was satisfied with the performance of the German racers so far at the 110th Tour de France.
“The results so far have been very, very good, even if it was only second and third places,” said the ex-professional cyclist of the German Press Agency. The 43-year-old gives his assessments of the Tour of France as an expert on ARD.
The top riders
The yield of the German mini squad of only seven drivers has so far delivered more than expected. Mountain specialist Georg Zimmermann with his second place and sprinter Phil Bauhaus with his second place and two three-place finishes showed strong stages. “The two drove really well,” said Wegmann.
The outlook
There aren’t many chances left until the final stage in Paris in just under a week. “Bauhaus still has three or four stages where there is a sprint. His team will try something with him there,” said the ex-professional of the former Gerolsteiner team. The departure of Zimmermann’s captain Louis Meintjes could create opportunities for the Augsburger in breakaway groups. “After the fall, Zimmermann is freer. He’s in an incredibly good mood,” enthused Wegmann.
The Bora professionals
Emanuel Buchmann and Nils Politt from the German team Bora-hansgrohe provide escort protection for captain Jai Hindley, who is expected to finish on the podium in Paris. However, after his crash on Saturday, the third place overall for the Australian is getting further and further away. Buchmann also went down a day later, but he was able to continue. “I have a couple of abrasions. The fall wasn’t too bad but that’s always annoying,” he said. So far, the German champions have had few freedoms of their own.
The other drivers
Simon Geschke wore the mountain jersey for nine days last year. This year it is difficult for him to get out of his role as a helper, despite some freedom. “He keeps trying, but he’s not in the best shape,” Wegmann noted. Geschke himself was recently dissatisfied with his own performance. Nikias Arndt previously brought his roommate Bauhaus into promising sprint positions as a starter. The experienced tour participant and sprinter John Degenkolb went into the tour with a different role anyway, because as road captain he pulls the tactical strings of the team in the background.
