Talking with Paolo Artuso of the many excellent riders in his ranks, la Bora Hansgrohe it had been defined as a “all star”, A team made up of "all stars." Indeed, the German team has many important riders, especially those in stage races.
Enrico Gasparotto, Bora's sporting director, tells us who these "stars" are and how they plan to best bring them back. Not all of them shone last season.
«Let's start from the concept that stage races are an ambition of our team from 2022 – says Gasparotto – since Sagan left. We're heading towards the Grand Tours above all. Last year was supposed to be the first approach and everything went beyond all expectations... in the true sense of the word, given that we won the Giro d'Italia."
Hindley on the Tour
The first "star" can only be Jay Hindley, the king of the Tour of Italy.
«Jai achieved a great result and confirmed himself at the Vuelta with his top 10. In fact, he is the only one of ours who has reached the podium of a major Giro, and it's understandable that he has the aspiration of going to the Tour."
And here Gasparotto clearly explains Hindley's wishes between the Giro and the Tour.
«Initially Jai wanted to do the Giro, he wanted to defend the title. But in Bora, we have simple and genuine communication. Hindley saw that the Tour preferred the mountains and shifted his attention to France.
«We know that it will be difficult and that the Tour in recent years it has been a monopoly of UAE Emirates, Ineos Grenadiers e Jumbo Visma, but the time had come to compete in the most important grand tour. It's the first time and we will go there with the utmost respect."
Vlasov at the Giro
«I would move on to Vlasov – continues Gasparotto – Alexander starts again from fourth place in the 2021 Giro and from fifth in the 2022 Tour. He secured fifth place despite a crash at a crucial moment in the race. He showed tenacity and great consistency. He was always at the front.. Apart from one stage (the second sprint in Denmark, ed.), he never finished higher than 31st. And we're happy with this performance because he achieved that placing despite not developing his best watts. He wasn't at his best."
«Vlasov defends himself well in the time trial. He's not on the level of Remco or Roglic, but he's going. He reasoned the opposite way to Jai. He's aiming for the Giro with a podium in mind. In general, the clear difference between the Giro and Tour routes has made the boys' choices easier and helped us directors, who listen to them and try to satisfy them."
Alex is a simple, down-to-earth guy. He's already focused on the Giro. He knows we've already reviewed some stages, and he's following this path. If there are no setbacks, the Giro d'Italia will become really interesting for him... And then he could have number one!
Buchmann Relaunch
Scrolling through the list of stars here Emmanuel Buchman. The German climber boasts a fourth place at the 2019 Tour and wants to build on that.
«He told us he wanted to do the Tour, always because of the time trials, where he's not super. He comes from seasons in which his performance was below his levels due to falls and illnesses, but that seventh place in the last Giro was a glimmer of hope."
His 2022 was a two-speed affair. Good in the first half, much less so in the second.
«However – continues Gasparotto – He's enthusiastic now, and it wasn't right to throw away all the good work he'd done in the first half. He'll start running again in Mallorca.
"Is it important to let him run? I say it's important to let him run well. Today, everything is super professional, everyone is at their best. Rather than encouraging the riders, you almost have to stop them. So happiness can make the difference. Kids need to be happy with what they do, they need to believe in it. And if by chance they haven't trained due to an illness, there's no point in sending them running to collect negative feedback. In that sense I liked it A recent maxim by Gianluca Vialli: “No one loses. Either you win or you learn.”
Schachman already on the track
The next star is Maximilian Schachman. The German arrives a year below the level of his class.
«And in fact – explains Enrico – He ended the 2022 season early to better recover. He is in Australia. The team has high expectations for the week-long races and the one-day races, especially since we are well covered for the Grand Tours.
«His 2023 objective is called consistency of performance. For example, in Switzerland he finished tenth despite not feeling well. Max has such a powerful engine that he needs to have this consistency at a high level. Artuso is working on it. For him, Paris-Nice and the Ardennes are the first objectives."
Higuita: shorter races
«Sergio is in Colombia… in the heat! We're thinking about him week-long races more than the Grand Tours. In 2022 he won Catalunya, he did well in Switzerland… But for me it can also be competitive in the big one-day races. He could have already achieved his first podium in a monument if he hadn't taken Civiglio too far behind in Lombardy."
«Higuita could be a support to Hindley at the TourBut let's not forget that he's young and can still improve."
Kamna and the ranking
Lennard Kamna It is perhaps the biggest surprise. An undisputed talent, he blossomed last year.
"Since Lennard is doing well in time trials, he's a national champion, and he's thinking about the 71 kilometers against the clock at the Giro. He's ambitious, trying to get into the overall standings, and it's only right to make him happy. For me he may be an outsider.
«He needs to mature and will have a different approach than running with imagination and freedom as he did this year. It will be his first experience to see if he can aim for the rankings. His approach includes two stage races, Valenciana and Tirreno. From there we'll understand how to set up the Giro."
And Aleotti?
The stars of the Bora are also part of it Giovanni AleottiOne of the hopes of our cycling.
«Giovanni is in Australia – says “Gaspa” – We decided to start stronger so he could perform well right away. Then there'll be the Giro for him too. It is expected to be a demanding season, especially after a winter focused on getting ready immediately. He'll sacrifice the Ardennes. We wanted him to do well at the Giro..Last year had too many setbacks."
Aleotti is therefore already focused on the Giro and according to Gasparotto he could be a key player for Vlasov.
"For Giovanni, the same thing applies as for Kamna. Either you're born like Hindley, who's immediately effective, or you get there gradually. But I believe that growing step by step is the best thing. And I say this from the experience of a rider who won straight away. This way when difficulties arise he will know how to deal with them.
«If you ask me, in the long term, whether Giovanni can be a Grand Tour rider, I answer that I don't know. If you ask me what he can do in the short term, I tell you that can be competitive in one-day races. Especially those in the second part of the season, like Plouay or Canada, where he showed he was going strong."
Jungels in support
Gasparotto points out to us that the roll call is missing Bob jungels. In theory, Patrick Konrad and Sam Bennett would also be there, but they have made more of a shift towards teamwork.
«Bob, another super solid rider – says Enrico – regaining consistency is one of his goals. The fact that he returned to winning at the Tour and just dropped out of the top 10 means he's back to his best.
«His season will be divided into two main parts: Paris-Nice and Northern Classics and then the Tour de France. At Paris-Nice, he could do well both for the general classification and to help, especially in terms of team time trials. In the classics, he could be competitive in some of the cobbled races and in the Ardennes. Let's not forget that he was also in the Quick Step. and knows how to fight for those goals.
"As for the Tour, he wants to be there to provide support. Not for the overall standings. It was his choice." His words: "If I hold on, I'll finish 9th or 10th and won't be able to move. This way, I'll be able to help and maybe try for a stage win."
