Tour de France 2019: 11 Germans, 4 Swiss & 4 Austrians

Cycling: For a long time, fans have been looking forward to the start of the Tour de France. Now it is time. The squads of all teams are set and tomorrow it's finally starting. There are eleven Germans, four Swiss and four Austrians. We look at their goals and tasks.

Germany: mountains and groups instead of sprints

In recent years, the German pros have mainly been successful in the sprints at the Tour de France. In 2019, however, the focus is more on the mountains. With Emmanuel Buchman and Maximilian schachmann the Bora – hansgrohe team has two candidates for the overall standings and stage victories on demanding stages. They are supported on the level by the experienced Marcus Burghardt. Tony Martin is of enormous importance at Jumbo – Visma in the team time trial. But he can also fight for victory in the individual time trial. As a helper, he will be particularly important for sprinter Dylan Groenewegen as a preparer for the mass sprint. May hope for a particularly large number of freedoms Simon Geschke. At CCC there is no other captain besides Greg van Avermaet. The "most beautiful beard in the peloton" so we will definitely see them in breakaway groups.

For Nickias Arndt and Lennard Kamna The role has changed somewhat following the cancellation of Tom Dumoulin on Team Sunweb. The focus is no longer on the yellow jersey, but on the green jersey and stage wins. Even though Nikias Arndt will probably start the mass sprints for Michael Matthews, he can hope for a chance on one or the other section. Lennard Kämna has been surprisingly strong in the high mountains in recent weeks. The huge talent could also take another big step forward during the Tour de France.

However, the roles of are clearly defined Roger Kluge in the Lotto – Soudal team and by André Greipel at Arkéa – Samsic. While Roger Kluge prepares the sprint for his captain Caleb Ewan and his driver Jasper de Buyst, André Greipel is the sole sprint captain. However, the old master is missing his actual starter Robert Wagner and he has also been struggling with an illness in recent weeks. He himself therefore does not expect another stage win, but would like to enjoy what might be his last Tour de France.

In the Katusha – Alpecin team, the two German drivers should enjoy some freedom. After Marcel Kittel retired, the position of the sprinter became vacant. This could Rick Zabel take in. With Jens Debusschere and Marco Haller he can hope for active support and a quick leadout. teammate Nils Politt on the other hand, will focus on isolated breakaway attempts. If it gets a bit hilly and the sprinter teams no longer take part in the tracking work, the classic hunter does not have a bad chance of winning the day. Incidentally, if Ilnur Zakarin is interested in the overall standings, he will also have to do help.

12) Emanuel Buchmann (26 / Bora – hansgrohe)
13) Marcus Burghardt (36 / Bora – hansgrohe)
18) Maximilian Schachmann (25 / Bora – hansgrohe)
86) Tony Martin (34 / Jumbo – Visma)
114) Simon Geschke (33 / CCC)
142) Nikias Arndt (27 / Sunweb)
145 Lennard Kamna (22 / Sunweb)
166) Roger Kluge (33 / Lotto – Soudal)
186) Nils Politt (25 / Katusha – Alpecin)
188) Rick Zabel (25 / Katusha – Alpecin)
215) Andre Greipel (36 / Arkea – Samsic)

Switzerland: Important helper services are to be performed

A stage win for Switzerland seems unlikely at the 2019 Tour de France. All four starters will be heavily involved with important tasks by their team captains. Matthew Frank is considered to be Romain Bardet's noble helper in the AG2R La Mondiale team. The Frenchman wants to be on the podium again and maybe even fight for overall victory if the race goes perfectly. The same goes for Thibaut Pinot from the Equipe Groupama – FDJ. This is where the newly crowned Swiss champion becomes Sebastien Reichenbach certainly not uncommon to see in the high mountains. teammate Stefan Kung has to take responsibility in team and individual time trials. He will also protect his leader, Thibaut Pinot, from dangerous situations and wind cliffs on the flat. The latter will too Michael Schar not be foreign. At CCC, however, he drives for Greg van Avermaet, who is hoping for a chance in the sprint on the more demanding flat stages.

34) Mathias Frank (32 / AG2R La Mondiale)
54) Stefan Küng (25 / Groupama – FDJ)
57) Sebastien Reichenbach (30 / Groupama – FDJ)
117) Michael Schar (32 / CCC)

Austria: break away and hope for opportunities

Three of the four Austrians in the 2019 Tour de France are under contract with Team Bora – hansgrohe. Due to the quite open philosophy in the team, they will certainly also get their opportunities for self-realization. Nevertheless, it is important to subordinate everything to Peter Sagan's goals and win the green jersey for a seventh time. The strong ones on the flat could be particularly important for this Lukas Postlberger become and the hill specialist Gregor Muehlberger. Above all, he will support the Germans Emanuel Buchmann and Maximilian Schachmann Patrick Conrad. The new Austrian champion has proven that he can be a real weapon in the mountains. Quite conceivable that he gets chances in breakaway groups and either serves as a Realais station or can drive to win a stage. This also applies Mark Haller from the Katusha – Alpecin team, who, however, feels more at home on the flat. In the sprints he probably drives for Rick Zabel. However, if he is active in a group on a flat stretch, his speed can help him to succeed.