Cycling: When the 104th Giro d'Italia starts in Turin on Saturday, there will also be a few German-speaking professionals at the start. The 8 Germans, 6 Swiss and 2 Austrians have every chance of completing a successful Tour of Italy.
Germany
Emanuel Buchmann is capable of anything
There is no question: German hopes are rising at this year's Giro d'Italia Emmanuel Buchman. The professional from Ravensburg has the best chance of getting a top position in the overall classification and fighting for stage wins in the mountains. His competitors George Bennett and Jai Hindley and Romain Bardet are from Paul Martens or Nico Denz supports. If it becomes too mountainous, however, they will have to say goodbye to their role as helpers. On one or the other flat or slightly wavy section, however, both could also appear as outliers. Nico Denz in particular has proven several times that he is a potential stage winner in this way.
Many Germans will be active in the sprints
The rest of the German squad can be described as strong in sprinting. Alexander Krieger will play an important role in bunch sprints when he needs to position his captain Tim Merlier. Has a similar task Roger Kluge for Caleb Ewan. While Krieger will be tackling the first Grand Tour of his career, Kluge is already on his eighth. Nickias Arndt and Max Kanter can hope for themselves on flat stages that someone will ride for them. Because the DSM team does not have a top sprinter in their squad. The memo looks different for Max Walscheid out of. The 1,99 m giant is extremely important for European champion Giacomo Nizzolo in the sprint arrivals. However, as the Italian falters from time to time, it could be the case that the German is also driven from time to time.
The German Giro starters
24) Alexander Krieger (Alpecin – Fenix)
75) Emanuel Buchmann (Bora – hansgrohe)
157) Paul Martens (Jumbo-Visma)
165) Roger Kluge (Lotto – Soudal)
192) Nikias Arndt (DSM)
194) Nico Denz (DSM)
196) Max Kanter (DSM)
207) Max Walscheid (Qhubeka – Assos)
Switzerland
How much freedom do Pellaud & Mäder get?
The Swiss have really good chances of a successful Giro d'Italia. We will probably see them in action almost every day, especially in the mountains. Simon Pellaud will get free travel one time or another. He has already shown at the Tour de Romandie that he can compete in a WorldTour race and show off his aggressive nature. There has been a particularly strong improvement in the past few months Gino Mader. At the same time, he is probably the Swiss who will be given the least freedom in his team. With Pello Bilbao and Mikel Landa, Bahrain - Victorious has two contenders for the podium in Milan. Together with Matej Mohoric, Gino Mäder is therefore automatically given the role of noble helper. Due to tactical maneuvers, it can of course still be the case that the Swiss is allowed to join the breakaway group on a hilly or even mountainous stage, but even then the focus will probably be on helping his captains – and not riding on his own account may. With a bit of luck, both can be perfectly combined. It is very likely that Gino Mäder will ride a good Giro d'Italia and continue to draw attention to himself, whether with his own top results or not.
Freedoms at Groupama – FDJ & Qhubeka – Assos
The teams Groupama - FDJ and Qhubeka - Assos each have two Swiss teams. Matteo Badilatti and Sebastien Reichenbach benefit from the fact that Thibaut Pinot is not at the start and a clear leader cannot be identified. Hopes are pinned on Rudy Molard and Attila Valter, but since it probably won't be about a podium place, we can definitely see Badilatti and Reichenbach im Hochgebirge in breakaway groups. The roles of Kilian Frankiny and Mauro Schmid are not yet clearly defined in the Qhubeka – Assos team. A lot depends on how strong Domenico Pozzovivo will be. The 38-year-old wasn't as strong as he used to be. If this trend continues, Frankiny and Schmid will primarily appear as outliers. Otherwise they are in demand as helpers.
The Giro starters from Switzerland
32) Simon Pellaud (Androni Giocattoli – Sidermec)
55) Gino Mader (Bahrain – Victorious)
122) Matteo Badilatti (Groupama – FDJ)
126) Sebastien Reichenbach (Groupama – FDJ)
203) Kilian Frankiny (Qhubeka – Assos)
206) Mauro Schmid (Qhubeka – Assos)
Austria
Großschartner & Brändle with important tasks
Only 2 Austrians will be at the start of the Giro d'Italia 2021. Felix Grossschartner acts as a noble helper for Emanuel Buchmann. But as we have learned from the past, every professional gets his chance at Bora – hansgrohe. We can therefore assume that Großschartner – as he has already proven in the past few weeks – will play a good role in breakaway groups. Certainly not the mountains are the terrain of compatriot Matthias Brandle. His home are the flat stages and of course the time trials. In the case of possible mass sprints, he will put himself at the service of his teammates. With Patrick Bevin and Davide Cimolai, there are two fast-paced men on the Israel Start-Up Nation team. However, as they are not a top favorite for mass arrivals, the team will occasionally engage in group activity. And Brändle is also perfect for this as a strong time trialist.
The Austrian Giro starters
77) Felix Grossschartner (Bora – hansgrohe)
143) Matthias Brandle (Israel Start-Up Nation)
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