Tour de France 2023: The Bora plan with the yellow jersey
DPA
· 06.07.2023
Rolf Aldag had not planned at all for Jai Hindley to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. Nevertheless, the sporting director of the top German team Bora-Hansgrohe could hardly be happier that his captain is leading the most important cycling race in the world.
"It can't be a bad tour anymore. No matter what happens. And we still have a lot planned," said the 54-year-old. It is even possible to leave the Pyrenees with the yellow jersey - if a few factors play into play.
Thursday at the Tour de France will be so tough
At the end of the Pyrenees double, it's time to get down to business once again. On the 144.9 kilometres to the mountain finish in Cauterets-Cambasque, around 4,000 metres in altitude have to be conquered - with the infamous Col du Tourmalet in the middle. "There are certainly stronger teams than us for the Tourmalet. But I'm sure each of us will kill ourselves to get as far as possible," said Aldag.
The competition is that good
Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, as the first stage of the Pyrenees showed, is probably in a league of his own. Behind him, nobody stands out, not even two-time Tour champion Tadej Pogacar. If Hindley recovers well and Vingegaard has no desire for the Tour de France yellow jersey, the most coveted cycling jersey in the world can stay with Bora-Hansgrohe.
Jai Hindley is that strong
With his overall victory at the Giro d'Italia last year, the Australian has risen to become one of the world's elite cyclists. This year, he has subordinated everything to the Tour de France. "I've lived like a monk for the last two months," said Hindley. He meticulously inspected the two Pyrenean stages at the beginning of May. Aldag: "Jai knows every metre. He could also do the briefing on the bus."
This is how important Emanuel Buchmann is
German champion Emanuel Buchmann is stronger than he has been since his fourth place in 2019. If it wasn't for Hindley's helpers, the 30-year-old would probably be able to finish in the top 10 this year. However, Buchmann has repeatedly made it clear that he is fully committed to the Australian. He is very familiar with the Tourmalet, where he attacked on the last kilometre of his Gala Tour four years ago and was briefly in the lead.
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