Cycling: Fabian Wegmann is still known to many fans as an active professional cyclist. For several years he has been instrumental in getting the Deutschland Tour off the ground - including 2022. At the press conference in Weimar, he spoke positively about this year's edition, both in terms of the route and the start list.
Only one more night! ✨ Our big one starts tomorrow #cyclingfestival by @stadtweimar @thueringen_ttg Meiningen @Stadt_Marburg @Freiburg Schauinsland Schiltach @stuttgart_stadt @SoIstS! Who or what are you looking forward to the most? #yourtour? pic.twitter.com/PlcL29Z53H
— Germany Tour (@DeineTour) August 23, 2022
Wegman: “They are all happy to drive here”
With Fabian Wegmann, the organization of the Deutschland Tour has achieved an absolute stroke of luck. The now 42-year-old has been planning the route of the Deutschland Tour for years and, as the sporting director of the tour, is the link between the teams and the organization. In the press conference before the prologue in Weimar, he let it be known that he himself is satisfied with the Deutschland Tour 2022. He was particularly happy that there had been no last-minute changes to the start list in the past few days.
"Last week. Not since then, thank God, because it's damn good. Team Ineos Grenadiers has reported Adam Yates. Egan Bernal is there - two-time Grand Tour winner - after his bad fall. He has already raced in Denmark and has now decided to compete with us as well. Of course that's great. Filippo Ganna - time trial world champion - is also there. Otherwise we also have a top sprinter field with Caleb Ewan, Fernando Gaviria and Fabio Jakobsen. Yves Lampaert, who won the opening time trial of the Tour de France, is also there. So we have an absolutely top starting field. They are all happy to drive here too.”
"Buchmann comes to the Germany Tour in Vuelta form"
In addition to the international stars, the Deutschland Tour also welcomes some strong riders from Germany this year. Fabian Wegmann is particularly looking forward to Emanuel Buchmann, who is starting here in good form after a difficult season plagued by injuries.
“Of course we are also looking forward to the German drivers. Especially on Emanuel Buchmann, who unfortunately couldn't start at the Vuelta, but is now at the start with us with his Vuelta form. We have the mountain finish at Schauinsland and that is definitely something that suits him.”
“We hope for a prologue that is as exciting as possible”
The professionals don't have a particularly long working day these days. The prologue in Weimar is only 2,6 kilometers long and is completed on normal racing bikes. That's why Fabian Wegmann is hoping for an exciting start with only a short time difference.
“It may well be that tenths of a second are at stake today. As I said, Filippo Ganna will be there. That will definitely suit him. But of course we hope that it will be very, very close. Everyone will be riding their normal road bike, not a time trial bike. We did it that way, also to relieve the teams. So you can drive full throttle around the curves. We hope for a prologue that is as exciting as possible, which could also go in the direction of the sprinters. But Nils Politt can do it too, he comes from the train.”
"It's not enough just to be a good climber"
The Deutschland Tour is breaking new ground in 2022. For the first time since the new foundation, a prologue will be held. In addition, the professionals have to master a mountain finish for the first time.
“The stage on the Schauinsland will definitely make a difference, but that won't be final yet, because it's flattening out a bit at the top. I don't assume that someone will arrive with a minute's lead. Maybe a group will arrive there, of course decimated and with strong climbers, but then we still have the final day in Stuttgart with a bonus sprint. And the Herdweg is damn hard. We saw that back in 2018. At that time I think 18 men arrived at the front. You really have to be explosive. It's not enough just to be a good climber, you also have to be good at sprinting. That's why I would also mention a Simon Geschke. He says he can't do that. That's too long for him. But the rest suits him very well. That's why I'm very excited about it."
“We had to offload a WorldTour team”
The inquiries from the teams show that the Deutschland Tour is well received by the teams. This year even a WorldTour team had to be turned down. Groupama – FDJ would have liked to take part, but the request was rejected due to the rules. Because a maximum of 70 percent of the teams may belong to the WorldTour.
"The last events were always such that the jersey changed almost every day, because there is always a sprint for the bonus seconds. Of course we also have a mountain finish this year. Of course it's going to be a bit different. Of course we want to keep our character. We want to create a classic every day, so that every day is exciting and the drivers are happy to come here again. We even had to uninvite a WorldTour team this year because of the rules, because otherwise there would have been too many. That shows that the Deutschland Tour appeals to the teams. Many are also preparing for the World Cup here.”
Starts in a week #yourtour. We keep those who cannot be there with ours #live ticker and keep up to date on Facebook and Instagram. Also the @LOLthe @ARD and @ZDF are back with live broadcasts. pic.twitter.com/Tqw8r9IHp0
— Germany Tour (@DeineTour) August 17, 2022