Stage 8: "Everyone is fit – I hope lots of hands go up"

00:00:02: Inside Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe, the OVB online podcast on The Tour de

00:00:08: France.

00:00:09: For

00:00:09: three weeks we joined team manager Ralph Denk as he leads the biggest and most successful German cycling team through The Tour De France.

00:00:19: Do you have questions for Ralph Denke?

00:00:21: Send them to Tobias dot roof at ovbmadea dot d And now enjoy the new episode.

00:00:31: Tim Malier also wins in Bergerac marking his second stage victory at this Tour de France.

00:00:37: Tadeh Pogaca remains the Yellow Jersey, Red Bull Borahans Grohe brings the captain safely to finish!

00:00:44: We are discussing the eighth day of this tour as always with team manager of Red Bull Bora Hans Grohe.

00:00:50: So hello to Ralf Denk.

00:00:53: Hello and greetings to Rosenheim.

00:00:56: Ralf start us off.

00:00:57: how did they go for you?

00:00:58: Did everyone get through it well & relatively relaxed?

00:01:02: Yes, it was actually relatively relaxed for us today.

00:01:08: I actually thought just as i mentioned yesterday that more teams would ride offensively but in the end there were three riders again who sought salvation and also got very far.

00:01:21: at least one of them almost made to finish line.

00:01:24: he only caught a km mark.

00:01:29: But otherwise, for the riders focusing on general classification it was a quiet day because the necessary crosswinds were missing to make the race harder.

00:01:43: Yes, while we are at it.

00:01:44: let us take a look today.

00:01:46: A three-man breakaway group which then breaks up Liam's slog from Lotto tried on his own.

00:01:54: was that tactically unwise or finally courageous?

00:01:59: Although regarding your criticism yesterday many teams actually too passive.

00:02:05: well his team Lotto Intermarché must be excluded.

00:02:13: How, how did you see it that he thinks to himself in the moment?

00:02:16: Okay.

00:02:16: I'll give a try because It really wasn't missing much.

00:02:20: Yes Well first of all You have to pay the inter martial auto team a compliment.

00:02:24: They are Really represented In every in Every breakaway group.

00:02:27: it is A very traditional Team from Belgium and they understand That they take that Very seriously.

00:02:33: i think thats good.

00:02:35: it makes The race more attractive.

00:02:38: And whether they should have kept riding as a trio or whether he sought salvation by escaping alone, well that only can decide on the spot right there in the thick of the lead group.

00:02:51: If you feel strong enough to ride faster along than with other two as help then it has no option!

00:03:00: But if the others still have a bit left, it is often smarter to take them along for awhile.

00:03:05: If he already has that feeling and you notice this in the lead group Am I the strongest?

00:03:11: The second strongest or weakest.

00:03:13: when the lead groups are three men strong You'll notice that.

00:03:16: And uh... He will make his decision at some point.

00:03:20: It's obviously super-super better For him be caught one thousand three hundred meters from finish.

00:03:27: But if I go back to what i said yesterday, If there had been maybe five six or seven riders the group would have worked more harmoniously with everyone using less energy and then it surely wouldn't be enough for him.

00:03:45: Is that something the sprint teams can time exactly?

00:03:49: Or is a certain amount of risk involved?

00:03:53: Yes, if the group in front is not too large and a route isn't difficult for topography then a rule of thumb is one minute per ten kilometers.

00:04:05: If you look at today's finale that rule of One Minute Per Ten Kilometers actually fit quite well regarding how much faster a peloton rides compared to a breakaway group or in this case alone breakerway rider who has been out all day And he still had a one minute lead with ten kilometers to go and in the end it just wasn't quite enough.

00:04:26: Incredible!

00:04:28: Let's move on Sprint, I'll even go as far to say that Tim Malier is by far the fastest sprinter in this tour.

00:04:38: He wasn't well positioned at all really and he powered through the wind with total ease.

00:04:44: That was a real show of force.

00:04:46: Yes you also have to pay a compliment To the Sudal quick step team because they did their main chasing work during the race together with the Alpes in disjunic team and they also left manpower out on Even their let-out man, Bert van der Berge had already dropped out so he was missing for Tim Malier too.

00:05:16: That is why he took a bit of a gamble in the sprint coming from quite far back but with real speed.

00:05:22: and yes He's currently best at one in a confident and well deserved manner.

00:05:29: Exactly, before we go into the background a quick general question.

00:05:32: Eight day tour de France.

00:05:34: how is everyone's health on your team?

00:05:36: Is everyone fit or are there any physical aches pains or anything more serious?

00:05:41: what is the situation

00:05:43: now?

00:05:43: everything is going according to plan.

00:05:46: Everyone is healthy and Has no aches so pains which is already good after eight days of racing And I hope it stays that way.

00:05:55: Exactly, we have seen it differently before.

00:05:57: So positive news from Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe.

00:06:00: now over to the background.

00:06:02: let us talk about the topic of media at the Tour de France today.

00:06:06: Before you give some exciting insights a few facts.

00:06:09: One hundred and ninety countries are showing the Tour De France.

00:06:13: The international feed has one hundred ten hours of live coverage.

00:06:17: The videos on official platforms reach over one billion views.

00:06:23: There are many, many more impressive figures.

00:06:26: Long story short it is a gigantic sporting event that overshadows much more than just cycling right?

00:06:35: You could certainly say the Tour de France is the media machine of cycling and It Is A World Cultural Heritage.

00:06:42: The Tour De France has already been held Over One Hundred Times And you have Already Mentioned A Few Facts.

00:06:49: I will add that there are over two thousand accredited journalists on site, who of course all want to do their job as well as possible which i naturally understand and we also respect.

00:07:04: We're glad they are here because the stories spread and if Remco and Florian don't quite see eye-to-eye in the finale or misunderstand each other For us it was a minor thing in the race, but you saw how big that gets.

00:07:21: That is just to the front and when the bus pulls into paddock or teambus or headspots director Pachi Villa get off of the bus then you often have twenty, thirty, forty microphones shoved on your face.

00:07:38: What do you have to say about yesterday's incident?

00:07:41: So all in all deeply, deeply impressive.

00:07:45: The Tour de France and it one con also or It is also a fact that the Tour De France Is the largest recurring annual sporting event.

00:07:54: what Do I mean by That ?

00:07:56: The Football World Cup And the Olympics are still larger In terms of media reach but they Are not every year only Every four years and the tour de france is every Year.

00:08:07: And it is also impressive for me when I move around backstage and see the amount of cables from the broadcast trucks that are set up, taken down every day.

00:08:20: We don't have a stadium so... It's hell off!

00:08:22: A lot work on all the broadcast tracks and satellite dishes everything you need.

00:08:28: So viewers get great TV pictures That is setup every day and then taken down only to be set up again the next day in the next location.

00:08:40: So it is truly, truly impressive.

00:08:42: all the logistics that go into that

00:08:45: Yes!

00:08:45: That must be mountains of cables or equipment.

00:08:49: And...and It's hard to imagine.

00:08:51: you know In your mind's eye You really have to see for yourself right?

00:08:56: yes..it still very very impressive To me even though this my thirteenth Tour de France.

00:09:18: The

00:09:24: French director, the person in charge actually flies over the race route in a helicopter several times beforehand.

00:09:32: What also adds to that is, it's not so easy.

00:09:38: So that is very, very elaborate compared to a sport.

00:09:44: That takes place in the stadium because there you have stationary cameras and now they also use drones but... To bring cycling into the living room You need helicopters!

00:09:56: You need cameraman on motorcycles And then you need relay planes.

00:10:02: So you need a lot of equipment to really deliver great pictures and cycling fans in their living rooms.

00:10:10: You have come up with something new from the media perspective.

00:10:15: Before we get into that, general question What does your media work look like on site?

00:10:21: How many people are involved?

00:10:23: is it different from Agiro, Avalta or other tours?

00:10:28: Give us a brief overview first and then we will look at the new YouTube format.

00:10:34: Yes, We naturally want to offer our racers The best possible support here And that is why we have two press officers on site.

00:10:44: One takes care of the in-demand Florian Lipowitz, and another of them is Remko Evinapuels so that they always have a press officer by their side to support them.

00:10:59: Well not every rider finds it easy to speak with media and this meant giving riders sense security.

00:11:09: Then, of course we want to report on it because the Tour de France is a huge marketing machine and our partners generate about eighty percent of their annual advertising value from The Tour de France.

00:11:23: And that's why The Tour De France is so important!

00:11:26: We naturally want use this platform as team in best possible way which also has people for content with us – photographers or videographers.

00:11:36: and the whole thing naturally also has to be edited then.

00:11:40: And we have a YouTube format that's between eight and ten minutes before or for the next stage, The previous day is shown what happened?

00:11:51: We want to show exactly this image of what the television viewer actually doesn't see but what happens behind-the scenes What is special about our sport?

00:12:01: We actually want to bring that closer to the cycling enthusiasts and thats why we have six content people on site.

00:12:09: And then, we also have the beauty of our project at Red Bull Media House where they edit daily format in Salzburg for us.

00:12:20: so from a team perspective it is also huge machine And anyone who is interested, not just in the podcast but also in seeing The Visuals can check out our YouTube format on Red Bull Bora Hanscroy.

00:12:34: Exactly, I thought as much.

00:12:36: So what we have been discussing here for seven years is captured in really superbly executed footage.

00:12:44: was that Netflix series which is no longer around about the Tour de France a bit of the approach where you thought hmm this could be the direction because it's a premiere inside tour de France format.

00:12:57: Check it out on the Red Bull, Bora Hans-Grohe YouTube channel.

00:13:01: You can see there was that perhaps idea to say?

00:13:06: The Netflix seasons have done entire sport and us as a team are good.

00:13:12: They explained this sport which is often more complex than football match.

00:13:19: We generated a lot of reach through that.

00:13:22: we made our sport bigger.

00:13:25: Why doesn't that exist anymore?

00:13:26: That was a bit of problem because not every team saw it this way and not everyone approached the Netflix topic as openly.

00:13:35: As we do now at Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe, some other teams were more closed off about it.

00:13:43: And then, of course it's hard for Netflix to create behind-the-scenes content and tell the stories that you don't see in the live TV broadcast.

00:13:56: Unfortunately, that is why the Netflix series no longer exists... ...and we decided if there are no more Netflixs than will just make our own.

00:14:06: Exactly.

00:14:07: So, as I said the Red Bull Bora Hans Grohe YouTube channel check it out.

00:14:12: exciting insights.

00:14:13: you briefly mentioned The Riders.

00:14:16: for some It comes easily For others is not so easy.

00:14:20: Do the riders get media coaching?

00:14:23: Yes we support the drivers to be professional in dealing with the media but also learn when its okay say no.

00:14:35: So, basically yes the basics but as I said some are born with it others perhaps aren't quite.

00:14:49: But I also expect my press officers not to filter too much because we do want get the story out there.

00:15:01: And if everything is just filtered, you often end up with those slick interviews that might know from other sports.

00:15:10: but this actually isn't my approach at all and i wanna make our sport bigger.

00:15:14: so u have be able take a few things.

00:15:17: sometimes speak your mind.

00:15:20: You're speaking form the heart of a sports journalist.

00:15:24: It's not a given, I can confirm that.

00:15:26: In closing how has it developed?

00:15:28: Thirteenth Tour de France for you!

00:15:31: When you look back at the first and second tour de france sure The team was smaller than And expectations were different.

00:15:40: But if we are to paint big picture How this media attention and everything That goes with it Developed over thirteen years We're talking about now?

00:15:53: Yes, the Tour de France was indeed already very big.

00:15:56: Thirteen years ago.

00:15:57: I don't think there has been that much extreme growth since then.

00:16:01: sure they have increased their reach but the tour de France machinery on site were similar thirteen years ago to what it is now.

00:16:10: What has changed within our team?

00:16:12: Is massive.

00:16:13: a thirteen year ago we entered the race with a wild card.

00:16:16: We would just happy to be.

00:16:19: We didn't dream of winning stages or competing for the top ten but we still managed it in our first year with seventh place, with Leopold König.

00:16:27: It was a huge success for us as a wildcard team But we went into it completely without pressure, half the staff roughly like today.

00:16:38: So it was still much more hands-on for us.

00:16:41: but cycling itself also had a lot of hands on back then and in the last thirteen years an arms race has definitely taken place among teams.

00:16:50: The budgets I am talking about the top team thirteen years ago compared to the top that has tripled, quadrupled and there is simply much more money involved now.

00:17:07: And the teams are naturally dealing with many details than thirteen years ago.

00:17:12: That is also a reason why cycling is so fast right now, it's not just Tadeh Pogacar breaking record after record on the climbs.

00:17:25: But the whole peloton including Florian Lipowitz and Remko Ebenpol are improving their personal best year-after-year.

00:17:35: That is one reason why the teams are investing so much more and putting in so much effort into details.

00:17:44: Exactly, let's look at tomorrow!

00:17:47: Let us get back to this board.

00:17:49: It starts at thirteen thirty-five.

00:17:51: Expected arrival is seventeen forty five from Malemore.

00:17:55: it goes to Usel in the massive central.

00:17:57: One hundred eighty five kilometers will be ridden.

00:18:00: three thousand three hundred meters of climbing One climb of the fourth, two off third and one on second category.

00:18:08: That sounds very suspicious for a breakaway group!

00:18:13: Yes I already said yesterday that i expect larger breakaway groups today which might even reach finish.

00:18:23: I wasn't far-off.

00:18:25: Liam almost made it to finish but well not quite.

00:18:30: I would say there is an eighty percent chance that a breakaway group will reach the finish line tomorrow.

00:18:37: and yes, we'll also talk to our riders today who feels good.

00:18:41: Who's motivated for tomorrow?

00:18:58: But a climotype ruler has good chance of us to stage win tomorrow, I think.

00:19:04: And i hope that many hands go up tonight from those who want and are willing try something tomorrow.

00:19:12: Yes, but can you?

00:19:14: I mean under normal circumstances.

00:19:16: I would agree with that one hundred percent.

00:19:18: But i don't trust Pogacar at all.

00:19:21: With him You really have to be on your guard even if the paper says something completely different... ...but If he's in the mood..I wouldn't rule anything out with Him!

00:19:31: You know what I mean.

00:19:32: No He is a winner A One Hundred Percent Winner with The Right Attitude and The right mentality but also with the right legs.

00:19:41: He always wants to win.

00:19:42: Yes, but he also wants the Tour de France and for a dominator like him that is a tightrope walk because every time he let's say once to wind the stage... ...he has to push himself to the limit to win a stage here.

00:19:59: That also weakens the immune system.

00:20:01: Something could still happen, you could also crash.

00:20:03: I do not know if he goes to the limit on every stage and takes full risks.

00:20:09: good for sport of course He is more a risk taker as person which i find quite cool but don't think so.

00:20:17: tomorrow it will be breakaway.

00:20:21: what difference does that make?

00:20:22: Monday is arrest day In plain English, are there some who say yes now I'll really go all out because i have the rest day on Monday?

00:20:31: Or is that irrelevant?

00:20:33: No.

00:20:34: The riders... Who are let's say the candidates for the win tomorrow?

00:20:40: a strong climber and ruler when it comes to this stage win.

00:20:45: tomorrow they will all go into the red And of course they look forward to a rest day, but you don't really factor that in at the start because when it's about stage win.

00:20:56: It doesn't matter if there is a rest stay or not.

00:20:59: You just go into red.

00:21:02: Then we will see tomorrow who went into deep-red zone where their hands went up at Red Bull Borahanskrohe.

00:21:10: They are fit.

00:21:11: You brought us closer to that and much more again today.

00:21:14: Thank you very much for that, have a nice evening!

00:21:17: And we will hear each other tomorrow after the ninth stage of course.

00:21:22: Thanks

00:21:22: Ralph!".

00:21:26: That was the latest edition of Inside Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe – The podcast from OVB Online on Tour de France.

00:21:35: You can find the podcast on all common podcatches and on the websites of OVB Media & IpenMedia.

00:21:43: Thanks for listening, see you in next episode!