Cycling: Actually, every beginning is difficult. But Felix Großschartner (Bora-hansgrohe) made an impressively strong debut in his first WorldTour season. First he was in Spain, then in Portugal. Now the Austrian is on a short leave of absence before heading to Paris-Nice after an intensive training session.
Großschartner was in the top 2018 six times in 20
What a great start to the first WorldTour season! Felix Großschartner has already presented himself in very good form both in Spain and in Portugal. And that, although the Austrian himself did not have such a race history at the Back to the Algarve would have expected: “I only trained lightly at home and focused on regeneration. With such a good starting field, I would not have thought that things would go so well.”
But it went so well! Großschartner achieved a sensational ninth place in the overall standings and it could have been even better. In the end he was only two seconds down on sixth. Crucial for this top result was his performance at the top of the mountain Stage #2 and its strong Time trial. The 24-year-old was consistently up front. That gives hope for the future!
First vacation & training, then Paris-Nice
Felix Großschartner has not only proved in Portugal that Bora-hansgrohe has made a really good catch with him. Even before that, in Spain, he impressed with his strong early form despite helping out. In the Trophy Serra de Tramuntana he finished tenth at the Vuelta a Murcia he finished 14th. Although no race in 2018 has been part of the WorldTour so far, Großschartner has had to compete with strong competitors everywhere.
After the Volta ao Algarve, Großschartner went on a short vacation home. This is followed by an intensive training session before his first WorldTour race of the season, Paris-Nice. Actually, one would think that he would only have to conserve his strong form, but apparently there is still room for improvement: “Where I will train depends on the weather. I will make the decision at short notice, but it should definitely be over ten degrees.”
Source of the cover photo: © BORA-hansgrohe / Bettiniphoto
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