Interview: The 2015 Tour de France was one man's joy, the other sorrow: As the newly crowned German champion, Emanuel Buchmann rode into the limelight, Dominik Nerz, on the other hand, had to get off his bike in the Pyrenees while he had good prospects. Velomotion spoke to the two pros about the Tour of France, their friendship and their team BORA – Argon 18 and the sporting goals in the coming years.
How have you spent the past few weeks? How do you recover from a Tour de France, physically and mentally?
Emanuel Buchmann: Immediately after the tour I did a few more criteria and then spent a week with a friend on Lake Garda. I just went on vacation and switched off from cycling. Now I'm fresh again and motivated for training.
Dominik Nerz: I rode a criterion. I spent a lot of time with family and friends just to get some distance and recharge my batteries.
You started the tour with great ambitions in the overall classification, but then had to drop out on the 11th stage. How did you process that?
DN: I'd be lying if I said I've already pushed that aside completely. That takes time. The tour was the absolute highlight of the season for me. It is clear that after a disappointment it takes a while to get a clear head again. But I have to say that I now feel physically fit again and I enjoy getting on my bike again. And now, when the competitions start again, I hope to be able to close the 2015 tour and say "Here we go again!"
Did you follow Emanuel's strong performance on the tour?
DN: To be honest, I didn't turn on the TV for the first few days after leaving. That was too emotional for me, because first I had to realize that I wasn't there anymore. But of course I saw the results and read a lot, especially about emu. I was incredibly happy that he went through with it and showed what he can do. And I have to say respect and hats off to this achievement. To be able to assert oneself in the first tour participation and then in such a difficult course as this year and to drive through to Paris is worthy of every honor.
Emanuel, have you already realized what happened on the tour?
EB: I've had a few weeks to think about it. I'm slowly becoming aware that the third stage place in the Pyrenees and the tour in general were really good.
Has a dream come true for you?
EB: As a junior driver I was never really good, I never thought about becoming a professional. It was more of an unrealistic dream to ride the Tour. To have managed to do that in your first year as a professional is really awesome.
Would you two describe yourselves as professional and team colleagues or as good friends?
EB: Before I came to Bora-Argon 18, I didn't even know Dominik, but we got along well right away and quickly became very good friends. During the races we are actually always together in the room and have had a lot of fun together.
DN: We haven't managed to train together yet, even though we don't live far apart. But I can only confirm what Emu says. I come from teams where such a good relationship with teammates was not always the order of the day. Now it also increases the anticipation when I know that I'll meet Emu at the race and we'll be in the same room. That's always good.
How is your racing program? Will the German fans see you again in this country this year?
EB: I'm training for another four weeks, then a series of one-day races in Italy with the Tour of Lombardy as the highlight. I'm really excited for this race in particular and I want to do well there. Unfortunately, there is no longer a start on the program in Germany this year.
DN: It's similar for me. I also ride the Tour of Alberta in Canada and the two one-day races in Quebec and Montreal. After the Tour of Lombardy I'll drive another race in Abu Dhabi. Then it's over for me too.
How do you feel in Team Bora - Argon 18?
EB: The team structure is very good. As a new professional, I never had the impression that there were hierarchies and that the team was divided into young, rather inexperienced drivers and the old hands. We all get along very well and also like to drive and are motivated for each other.
DN: I like the size of the squad. At BMC I would see some riders at camp once a year and then not for the rest of the season. This is different now. You know your colleagues, spend time together, pull together. I don't see the fact that Bora - Argon 18 "only" drives with a Professional Continental license as a disadvantage. We take part in all the big races, but the small tours that you probably wouldn't do as a World Tour team anymore are really fun.
So moving to League Two wasn't a step backwards?
DN: Absolutely not! I feel good, I take on responsibility and the motivation is great. Our equipment and our vehicle fleet are of the very best. We're in a better position than some World Tour teams. Personally, I don't even know if you even have to take the step into the first division. Then the squad would have to be expanded because you have to contest many more races. Does the higher status bring us that much or are we not doing very well on our current track?
Of course you would have the start guarantee in the biggest races.
DN: I doubt that we will be invited to one of the three Grand Tours in 2016 either. Maybe I'm leaning too far out the window. But when I see how we performed this year, how we rode, what we achieved, we gave a good report. The organizers see that too. You can also call us a talent factory. Emu has already proven that he is a really good guy. The team management supports us all very well, builds us up well, but also gives us enough freedom.
EB: The three-week tours are the biggest thing in cycling. I would like to develop further there, in the direction of a classification driver.
You put up with a lot of deprivation for your sport. As young people, don't you sometimes miss having a good time at the weekend like your peers?
EB: It's definitely not that easy when the buddies you went to school with go to a party and you have to train or have a race yourself. But if you have goals and are motivated, you can do without them. In October and November you can party a bit more than during the season. That appeals to me, I have to say, and I take full advantage of it. Then it's also okay if less is possible during the season.
DN: When you have a terrific summer like this year, and you get photos via WhatsApp of your buddies lying by the lake, barbecuing and drinking beer, you get annoyed at times. But you also have to see all the benefits. We see so much, travel all over the world, we are practically living our dream. And it pays off too. After your career you can sit back and enjoy life for a while.
Kittel, Degenkolb, Martin and Greipel are particularly well known to the German public. Do the small teams sometimes get too little public attention?
EB: I don't think so. The four are also the most successful German cyclists. And especially during the tour, I was very busy with interviews in the German championship jersey.
DN: During the tour you noticed that cycling Germany is waking up a bit again. I also found the coverage of the ARD really great. I got great feedback and a lot of encouragement after I left. That made me very happy and also helped to get over the suboptimal situation. One notices that the interest in general – not just in the four named – is growing again. That's a good feeling.
Kittel, Degenkolb and Martin have publicly sworn never to dope. How do you like that?
EB: I think it's good that they did that. I wouldn't have any problem making such an oath either. We are clean and do everything we can to improve the image of the sport.
Are there any special rules in Bora - Argon 18?
DN: We belong to the MPCC, the movement for credible cycling, an association of teams, associations, sponsors and organizers. Stricter rules apply there.
What do you think about drivers who have doped?
DN: Personally, I have to say that I make a strong distinction between drivers who test positive today and drivers who used to dope. Those were different times. I don't think anyone can understand what happened back then. That's why I'm very reserved and don't judge anyone. But I am very disappointed if someone tests positive today. It is a pity that there are still those who have not realized that a new age has begun. They cast a negative light on our sport. On the other hand, something like Luca Paolini on the tour has been incredibly exaggerated by the media. When I heard that he tested positive for cocaine, I almost had to smile at first because I know Paolini and he is a bon vivant. I just think now that maybe he'd had enough of everything and wanted to switch off and there wasn't any performance-enhancing intent behind it. But the media immediately painted the devil on the wall à la "Doping is back in cycling". That was out of place in my opinion.
What is the fascination with cycling for you?
EB: I always watched the Tour de France on TV as a kid and that's how I got into cycling. Cycling is fun, you are in nature, get around, get to know many places and people. It's just a beautiful sport.
How should your career develop in the next five years?
EB: That's a tough question. Of course I hope that in a few years' time I'll be able to finish in the top ten in the overall standings of the Tour de France or another big tour. That is my goal. But of course I can't say whether that will work. All I can do is wait and see.
DN: In five years I'll be one of the old men in the peloton. I hope that I will still be in the best of health, that I can look back on some great successes. And that I still enjoy it and still burn for it.
Then I wish you all the best! Thank you for the interview!
Leave a Comment