As a multiple participant in the Tour of Austria, Christian Pömer knows how hard days in the saddle can be. Now he needs a lot of patience in the Tour de France, especially in the supervisor’s car. As sports director for the German world-class team Bora, he is required in many ways, as he says in the OÖN interview.
OÖ Nachrichten: Many pros find the Tour de France more stressful than any other tour on the season calendar, how does it feel on the part of the supervisor?
Christian Poemer: It’s the most important event of the year for us, it’s generally one of the biggest shows the sport has to offer. But despite all the hustle and bustle around it, at the end of the day it is and remains a bike race.
How do you rate the course, which also includes the cobblestones of the spring classic Paris-Roubaix?
Just being able to drive uphill quickly is not enough on this tour. On the two stages in Denmark, the wind can be a real spoilsport, I like the cobblestone section on stage five because it gives the whole thing extra spice. And the 40-kilometer time trial on the penultimate day is also tough. It’s a fine mix where it’s not a foregone conclusion that Tadej Pogacar will emerge as the winner again. In any case, only a complete racing driver wins.
Could Corona become a spoilsport as feared?
Everything will be done to ensure that we get through well. It could be an advantage for us in the team that many drivers were recently in contact with the virus and hopefully now have good immunity.
What do you expect from Felix Grossschartner?
After a difficult start to the season with illness and injuries, Felix got back into shape in good time. He’s currently setting career highs, and with performances like last week’s state time trial championship, he can also place at the top on a tour. I’m sorry that Lukas Pöstlberger isn’t there this time, because he could be used in many different ways as a driver for a sporting director.
Is this versatility generally a strength of your team?
In any case, we are difficult to calculate and can certainly show something on many stages.
Source: Nachrichten
