Cycling: The Tour de France 2021 will be tackled by 12 Germans, 6 Swiss and 4 Austrians. What are the tasks of the German-speaking drivers and how good are the chances of winning a stage?
Germany
Helpers & stage hunters - with a question mark
Will there be a German stage winner at the 2021 Tour de France? To be honest, the chances of that happening this year are worse than ever before. Too many professionals from Germany will have to take on the role of helper and will therefore hardly be given the freedom to pursue their own ambitions. Tony Martin will be the road captain for fellow favorite Primoz Roglic. We'll see him mostly at the beginning of the stages when he's supposed to control the pace of the peloton on the flat. But he can also prepare a sprint for Wout van Aert. Although he became German champion in the time trial for the tenth time a few days ago, he will hardly be able to fight for the day's victory in the fight against the clock. Also Jasha Sutterlin is a strong time trialist. He will be given a little more freedom and will certainly be found in groups from time to time. Nevertheless, he is not the first choice when it comes to attacking the day's win for his team DSM.
Jonas slip could be the hottest iron in the fire for a successful breakaway. The 23-year-old is driving his first Tour de France and many teams have certainly not yet considered the likeable, almost two-meter-tall giant. The tough classic specialist can hardly be stopped on the flat and is therefore also an important man for leader Rigoberto Uran in terms of the overall ranking. Also has to stand by his captain Simon Geschke. With all his experience, the Berliner is a real support for Guillaume Martin – and not just in the main draw. We will also see him in a break on more demanding terrain. Whether that at Nils Politt will be the case is uncertain. Because Bora – hansgrohe holds a few trump cards. Captain for the general classification is Wilco Kelderman, in mass sprints Peter Sagan and the green jersey will drive for him. There are also various alternatives for attacks, including ones from Austria. The staff is particularly interesting Emmanuel Buchman. The 28-year-old had to end the Giro d'Italia prematurely and is now surprisingly driving the Tour de France. Officially nominated as a noble helper for Wilco Kelderman, the Ravensburger could advance from the slipstream to become the captain.
- Emmanuel Buchman (Bora – hansgrohe)
- Nils Politt (Bora – hansgrohe)
- Simon Geschke (Cofidis)
- Jonas slip (EF-Nippo)
- Tony Martin (Jumbo – Visma)
- Jasha Sutterlin (DSM)
Fast men, but not top sprinters
The other 6 German starters of the Tour de France 2021 can be described as strong sprinters. However, we are far from having a real top sprinter flying the German flag. The most promising candidate for a win in a Sprint Royal would have been Pascal Ackermann. But the man from the Palatinate was not nominated by Bora – hansgrohe for the Tour of France. Well we can revisit André Greipel hope that of teammate Rick Zabel should be driven into position in the mass sprints. But can the now 38-year-old really keep up with the fastest men? He recently answered this question in Spain at the Ruta del Sol and the one-day race Trofeo Alcudia-Port d'Alcudia, as well as at the Tour of Turkey with yes.
Also drives to the Tour de France as a sprint captain Max Walscheid. And that comes as a surprise, because the 28-year-old has improved in the past few months, especially in time trials, and has put the mass sprints on the back burner. Because Giacomo Nizzolo is not there and climber Fabio Aru also had to miss out, the hopes of his team now rest on him. In the Belgian team Intermarché – Wanty – Gobert – Matériaux you can even choose from a quartet. The two Dutchmen Danny and Boy van Poppel are just as fast as the two Germans Jonah Koch and George Zimmerman. The form on the day will probably decide for whom you will ultimately drive in a mass sprint. Either way, you can always send at least one of them in groups on flat stages. So we'll probably see them both on offense from time to time. This hits Roger Kluge probably not to. The 35-year-old is firmly scheduled in Caleb Ewan's sprint train. Since the Australian is probably the best sprinter on the start list, there is a good chance that Roger Kluge will be able to celebrate - even if not about a stage win of his own.
- Jonah Koch (Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert - Materials)
- George Zimmerman (Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert - Materials)
- André Greipel (Israel Start Up Nation)
- Rick Zabel (Israel Start Up Nation)
- Roger Kluge (Lotto – Soudal)
- Max Walscheid (Qhubeka – NextHash)
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Switzerland
Chances of winning with Hirschi and in the time trial
His star rose at the last Tour de France. Marc Hirschi was one of the discoveries of the 2020 season. After his switch hiccup from DSM to UAE, the only 22-year-old is still looking for his top form. Will he achieve this in the next three weeks? Then he is certainly capable of a strong tour again. However, let's not forget that his side's main focus is now on Tadej Pogacar and defending the Tour title. Therefore, the Swiss will have to submit to the Slovenians and also have to provide important helper services. This also applies – albeit in a slightly different form – to Stephen Bissegger and Stefan Kung. While one drives for Rigoberto Uran, the other works for Arnaud Démare. In the fight against the clock, however, the two Swiss are allowed to drive on their own account - and in this discipline they do not have bad cards for their own success.
- Stephen Bissegger (EF-Nippo)
- Stefan Kung (Groupama – FDJ)
- Marc Hirschi (UAE)
Speed booster on the flat
The rest of the Swiss squad has its strengths almost exclusively on the flat. Sylvan Dillier rides in a team with multiple sprinters so he will mostly be chasing the breakaways rather than being part of a breakaway himself. Also Michael Schar is not only known in Switzerland as a real speed booster. His leaders Greg van Avermaet, Benoit Cosnefroy and Nans Peters will be happy to use his services. Since no real top sprinter was nominated by his team management, the Swiss can certainly go into a breakaway group on flat stages from time to time. That should also open Reto Hollenstein hold true. The Israel Start-Up Nation had a sprinter in André Greipel, but since the chances of success for the German are considered to be rather low, the team will have to actively present themselves in breakaway groups.
- Michael Schar (AG2R - Citroën)
- Sylvan Dillier (Alpecin – Fenix)
- Reto Hollenstein (Israel Start Up Nation)
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Austria
Noble helper with various freedoms
On the first two days of the Tour de France 2021, the Austrian is allowed to Michael Gogl legitimate hopes for a good result. Because hilly sections are the 27-year-old. However, since a mass arrival is to be expected on the first and second stage and no breakaway group is likely to get through, the rather less explosive Austrian may save his strength for another day. Lukas Postlberger proved at the Critérium du Dauphiné about a month ago that he works as a breakaway. The team could now expect the same from him at the Tour de France, even if his main focus should be on helping Peter Sagan. teammate Patrick Conrad has his strengths rather uphill, which is why he will mainly be there for Emanuel Buchmann and Wilco Kelderman. If a man is needed for the escape group in the mountains, Bora – hansgrohe will certainly choose Patrick Konrad. The role of Mark Haller is clearly defined. The experienced 30-year-old drives for Sonny Colbrelli on flat stages and on slightly hilly sections. If it gets hilly, he is responsible for his classification riders Wout Poels and Pello Bilbao on the first kilometers. He will hardly be allowed to pursue his own ambitions.
- Mark Haller (Bahrain-Victorious)
- Patrick Conrad (Bora – hansgrohe)
- Lukas Postlberger (Bora – hansgrohe)
- Michael Gogl (Qhubeka – NextHash)
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