Germany's cycling hope Emanuel Buchmann spontaneously rescheduled after his fall at the Giro d'Italia and is now taking part in the Tour de France 2021.
This was announced by his racing team Bora-hansgrohe on Thursday.
The 28-year-old, who finished fourth overall in the world's most important cycle race in 2019, will not act as a captain, but as a helper for teammate and captain Wilco Kelderman.
Since he had planned differently throughout the year, he “didn't have the overall standings in his sights,” said Buchmann. “I want to take the tour from day to day without any pressure, use my chances and drive aggressively whenever possible. That doesn't mean that I write off the overall standings from the start, but with Wilco we have a leader who was able to prepare optimally, ”added the climbing specialist. The tour starts on June 26th in Brest and ends on July 18th - traditionally in the capital Paris.
Buchmann had kept up with the Giro.
In the overall standings he was in sixth place until his fall and the subsequent exit, in the mountains he was even aggressive and thus proved his strength.
“The fall at the Giro was very bitter.
I was really in good shape and I am convinced that I could have been at the front there, ”said Buchmann.
The podium at the final in Milan seemed to be within reach until the crash.
"That is extremely hard"
On the upcoming ride through the Alps and Pyrenees, Buchmann could not only stand by his Dutch colleague Kelderman, but also hunt for daily victories on difficult stages.
“Emu will get his freedom, but you also have to be realistic: the Tour route is not ideal for him and he was injured from the Giro,” said team manager Ralph Denk.
The overall rating played "a subordinate role," the functionary admitted.
The original plan from Bora-hansgrohe envisaged Buchmann for Giro instead of Tour because there are more time trial kilometers in France this year, which Buchmann does not like.
At the equally prestigious Giro, Bosse and Buchmann rated the chances of a top 3 place higher.
As early as 2020, the best German overall classification rider had been stopped by a fall, at that time just before the tour, which he could then not contest with full strength. “For the second time in a row Emu has had to ignore a climax that he had been working towards for months. It's extremely tough and I really have respect for how Emu dealt with the situation and that he is now trying to attack again on the tour, ”said Denk.