Surprises & bad luck: The Tour report card of the Germans

With just seven professional cyclists, the German contingent at the Tour de France was smaller than it had been for over two decades. But the mini squad was fun, even if they didn't manage to win a stage. Instead, Georg Zimmermann impressed with his stages as a breakaway rider and Phil Bauhaus sprinted into the world elite. However, there were also two unlucky riders.

Phil Bauhaus

"They don't know me like this in Germany," Bauhaus told dpa before the Grand Depart in Bilbao. Understandable, as the sprinter had to be 28 years old to take part in his first Tour. After all, Bauhaus raced to second place once and third place twice in the bunch sprints. There was never much missing for victory. But the Alps were too much for the powerhouse. Bauhaus gave up on the 17th stage.

Georg Zimmermann

He was so close to his lifelong dream. But on the tenth stage, the Spaniard Pello Bilbao was a touch stronger than the Augsburg rider in the sprint. Zimmermann was initially terribly annoyed, but quickly recovered. The goal was to win a stage at the Tour. "If that doesn't happen for another ten years, that's fine as long as it works out," said the 25-year-old. It should really only be a matter of time.

Simon Geschke

In 2022, the Freiburg rider impressed with his dogged fight for the mountain jersey. One year later, Geschke no longer reached the level of the previous year, as a prolonged coronavirus illness had affected his preparation. The 37-year-old had to abandon the race on stage 18 with stomach problems. "My body decided in my favour. I could hardly eat and in a race like this that is the death penalty," said Geschke.

Nils Politt

The rider from Cologne had really good form, but also a lot of bad luck. On stage 19, Politt was well placed in the breakaway group when his chain broke and his dream of winning the stage was shattered. He will leave the Bora-hansgrohe team and join Tadej Pogacar's UAE team. There he will have to fight harder for a place in the Tour.

Emanuel Buchmann

The noble helper of Bora captain Jai Hindley was in very good shape. He doesn't yet have the form of 2019 or 2020, said Buchmann. But a clear upward trend was recognisable. Buchmann will end up in the top 25 in the overall standings.

Nikias Arndt

Was something of a twin to Phil Bauhaus as the lead-out man. After his retirement, he kept up in the sprints, but had no chance against the specialists. "The Tour was brutally difficult this year. I would have loved to have arrived in Paris with him," said Arndt, referring to Bauhaus.

John Degenkolb

He did his job as road captain and put his own successes on the back burner. The Tour did not go according to plan for his DSM team. Captain Romain Bardet dropped out after a crash and sprinter Sam Welsford failed to deliver in the sprints to Paris.

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