In East Tyrol, professional cyclist Lukas Pöstlberger recently filled up with his friend and Bora team colleague Anton Palzer at a two-week training camp in the mountains, including the original route of the notorious Ötztal Cycle Marathon with 227 kilometers and 5500 meters in altitude. From Sunday, the 74th Criterium du Dauphine is one of the big dress rehearsals for the Tour de France.
Pöstlberger won a stage of the World Tour last year and wore the yellow jersey for several days. After the serious crash this spring, the expectations of Schwanenstadt are a bit lower.
The fateful fall happened in “Across Flanders” at the end of March. “I lost consciousness and I still don’t know how it happened,” says the 30-year-old, who suffered a concussion. The result was a break from racing for several weeks before returning to the Tour of Hungary in mid-May. The Dauphine is now considered the first real form check. “I can definitely add more until the tour,” says Pöstlberger. Bora teammate Patrick Konrad has to do the same. For the Lower Austrian, who won a stage in the Tour of France last year but was slowed down this year by a fall and corona disease, the tour ticket is still at stake.
Rapp and Zoidl get going
The hopefuls are getting better and better at next week’s Tour of Upper Austria (June 9th to 12th). At the Giro dell’Appennino, Riccardo Zoidl rode an offensive race (43rd place). Jonas Rapp from the Steyrer Hrinkow team finished second in the Tour of Malopolska. (free)
Source: Nachrichten
