Stage 9: “We burned our powder too early – It didn't look good.”

00:00:02: Inside Red Bull Bora Hanskoe, the podcast from UVB Online on The Tour de France.

00:00:09: For three weeks we accompanied team manager Ralph Denk and biggest most successful German cycling team through The Tour De France.

00:00:18: Do you have questions for Ralph Denke?

00:00:21: Send them to tobias.roof at uvbmedia.de And now enjoy the new

00:00:29: episode!

00:00:32: Mathieu van der Poel has won the ninth stage of Tour de France.

00:00:35: Tadej Pogacar continues to wear yellow, Red Bull Borahansgrohe had a plan.

00:00:40: it did not work out!

00:00:42: Let us dive into our wild day at this tour as always with team manager of Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe.

00:00:47: – hello to Ralf Denk.

00:00:50: Hello and greetings to Rosenheim.

00:00:53: Yes, Ralph.

00:00:54: Before we get into the analysis also regarding your team I mentioned it in the intro...I mean i thought It was absolutely wild today and really expected something different.

00:01:03: How did you feel about?

00:01:05: yes how could We already talked About this stage yesterday And I thought okay!

00:01:12: It will be a classic breakaway day but it turned out differently In The end Even though Mathieu van der Poel ultimately won from A small breakaway group.

00:01:24: a classic breakaway where there are basically two races in one, um...where they fight for the stage win and general classification is fought maybe ten-fifteen minutes later.

00:01:35: That's what I expected that we all expect from team but it turned out quite differently.

00:01:42: We were prepared, okay breakaway group and we go all in.

00:01:45: Maxim van Gils would have been our man.

00:01:47: he tried it a few times with support from Nico Denz with from Mathias Kataniel of Jantratnik.

00:01:56: so we are active at the beginning And also shot out bolt relatively early you have to say but the group didn't stick.

00:02:04: maybe thirty seconds twenty second most.

00:02:07: they were caught again Until a group finally formed, by which point our resources were basically spent.

00:02:15: And then Ramco and Florian were also isolated.

00:02:19: that was less than ideal.

00:02:22: It didn't have any impact on us in the end but really shouldn't happen.

00:02:27: all-in-all Not great day for us But there is no damage either.

00:02:35: Well, I can take you all along.

00:02:38: My inbox was overflowing because people were already confused!

00:02:42: There are of course also fans from Red Bull, Bora Hansgrohe among the many listeners we have and they were a bit sour... The general sentiment is how this could be?

00:02:52: So many other general classification teams had riders up at front.

00:02:57: Here the captains are isolated, which is anything but ideal.

00:03:01: Florian had to go get bottles too.

00:03:04: other should actually be doing that job.

00:03:06: Jai Hindley for example Is one case in point.

00:03:10: So you're saying it was assessed differently.

00:03:12: They wanted to take a risk.

00:03:13: The plan didn't work out and It just developed That way from the race situation.

00:03:18: or does that need To be explicitly analyzed again?

00:03:22: Yes, we definitely need to talk about that within the team.

00:03:25: We have plenty of time for that tomorrow on the rest day because you cannot prioritize a stage win which is important for us and Which we set as our goal over the general classification?

00:03:37: And it went well.

00:03:38: and yes Of course Florian did go to the car once to get bottles also for Ramco But that was not a major effort for him.

00:03:45: but It looked silly and I also understand the fans who criticized us.

00:03:51: We imagined it differently too, but that is just racing.

00:03:54: But one thing I think is certain Shai Hindley certainly did not have his best day of his career today Not even on his favorite terrain with the climbs at the beginning third category.

00:04:06: so The mountains were not that long.

00:04:09: He was more man for high mountain.

00:04:12: But be that as it may.

00:04:13: It looked silly, but we were lucky in our misfortune and uh... As I said We are still sitting in fourth- and seventh place going into the first rest day like this And Uh..we have to focus now for next tasks In week two.

00:04:30: How much did external factors influence race?

00:04:33: What do i mean by that?

00:04:34: on The shortening of stage Sorry, by the way to all our listeners.

00:04:40: When Ralph and I spoke yesterday that wasn't set in stone yet.

00:04:44: so The stage was shortened by about thirty kilometers And the heat are external factors That In my opinion really influenced the race especially today's race.

00:04:53: How do you see it?

00:04:54: Yes!

00:04:55: The Heat certainly didn't make the Race any easier but the Heat Was the same for everyone else.

00:05:00: So i'm...I don't want To use that as an excuse.

00:05:04: and yes of course this Stage was thirty kilometers shorter.

00:05:08: That should help to some extent because the riding time, the stage-time is simply reduced by forty five minutes.

00:05:15: But when it comes to the finale and when the hot rate is up and the riders are at the limit then It almost doesn't matter if you rode for another fourty five minutes before or not.

00:05:24: But the stage shortening didn't come from the organizers, but rather the department or the original administration decided for themselves that this stage would be shortened because of heat.

00:05:38: And if it had probably been up to the organisers we'd have written the original route.

00:05:46: Exactly!

00:05:47: In these departments there is a law saying above certain temperatures.

00:05:51: they are no longer allowed take place And you had already mentioned it during the past few days.

00:05:57: You are bound by The Law there too, so briefly credit where credit is due.

00:06:02: So Mathieu van der Poel I found him rather inconspicuous in this tour so far and i have asked myself Is he perhaps not playing such a big role?

00:06:12: But then He's There again!

00:06:13: The guy today...and everyone has Him on their list.

00:06:16: That Has to be top class

00:06:19: Yes, and that is why they are these exceptional riders or champions.

00:06:24: You don't see them for a long time then smell the finish line so you can win and produce your performance to actually win.

00:06:34: So that's Champions League.

00:06:38: not everyone can do it!

00:06:40: And Mathieu van der Poel, he has I believe become cross world champion many times already.

00:06:45: Road World Champion one almost all the big classics.

00:06:50: yes champion and they can do that!

00:06:53: That is exactly what sets a champion.

00:06:55: apart from normal rider A Normal Rider will finish second third or fourth on days like this even if it feels good but the champion wins and that's a champion.

00:07:05: Congratulations Absolutely, from my side as well.

00:07:09: So let us address three listener questions.

00:07:12: today we have received even more My colleague Korbinian and I will try to include them all in the show over the next two weeks!

00:07:28: They have been racing under a German license since this season.

00:07:32: The headquarters are also in Germany, the team has significantly upgraded its personnel.

00:07:37: from your perspective is this now a normal competitor or Is This Also About National Supremacy Which You Have To Defend?

00:07:45: Yes of course it is A bit about the german principle.

00:07:48: I would say who is?

00:07:51: Who is the master Of the house?

00:07:52: but first of all i think It is really cool that The Schwartz Group with their brand Liedl has entered cycling and they are one of the largest companies in Germany.

00:08:05: And when they do something, they do it right!

00:08:08: They have done that so didn't just become some kind of sponsor... ...they also acquired to my knowledge a seventy-five percent of the team.. ..and also moved the headquarters from Belgium to Neckarsalm.

00:08:23: They are taking cycling seriously and it is certainly welcome when external sponsors not from the inner circle of the bicycle industry invest in our sport.

00:08:35: So, From that perspective I think It's really great That we naturally have ambition In Germany to also be The best German team.

00:08:44: Yes!

00:08:45: That Is quite natural but i Also see it as healthy competition that stimulates business.

00:08:53: And when I look at football, there are many cities.

00:08:57: I think of Milan and London or Madrid where they're very big football clubs but not just one but two or three.

00:09:06: That is how it's here in German cycling too.

00:09:09: so i find all super positive and looking forward to fair competition.

00:09:17: Right, let's move on to Felix Wickenhäuser who describes himself as a professional traveler and accordingly has the topic of hotels.

00:09:27: On his list you are assigned these hotels.

00:09:30: we already explained that in more detail here.

00:09:33: He now has specific questions regarding the topic of sleep.

00:09:38: How do you ensure that athletes sleep as well as possible?

00:09:43: Since this is an essential part for recovery, check your rooms and bring your own mattresses when it's hot or having your own cooling units.

00:09:53: how can one imagine them?

00:09:56: Yes indeed, sleep is very important for recovery and we leave nothing to chance.

00:10:03: It's true that we are assigned the hotels so we can't just say We do not like this one or take it in our next town.

00:10:14: That does not comply with regulations.

00:10:18: It is also partly from the past that the anti-doping inspectors want to know where these teams are staying so they have short distances if they want to conduct unannounced doping tests.

00:10:30: We prepare the whole thing very intensively.

00:10:34: That means two or three months before the Tour de France, our people are already on site inspecting all of the hotels at the Tour des France.

00:10:43: but not just at the tour de France.

00:10:45: also at Yeroditalia and Fuelta a Espana that we know exactly what to expect when we get there.

00:10:53: Is it a large parking lot?

00:10:54: What is the rooms like?

00:10:55: how's air conditioning?

00:10:58: What are the beds like?

00:10:59: And then we, uh... Then next step follows what do you add.

00:11:05: Usually at Tour de France We swap the mattresses.

00:11:09: That means that our own or riders have their own mattress with them from our partner Seven Sundays and Hotel Mattress comes out.

00:11:19: in The Seven Sundays Mattress goes In!

00:11:22: We have brand new models that work With Coolink.

00:11:25: That means the mattress is cooled, pleasantly cooled much better than air conditioning for natural sleep with good quality.

00:11:36: Then we look at these... The air-conditioning usually they are in the hotels.

00:11:40: We don't stay in luxury hotels and get those from the organizer.

00:11:44: They aren't often found where the bike races or stages end but rather mostly three to four star hotel.

00:11:51: The air conditioning, the filters usually haven't been changed in three or four years.

00:11:56: We don't use them.

00:11:57: we have our own with us.

00:11:59: These are then installed.

00:12:02: It is done very provisionally With an exhaust hose through the window.

00:12:06: We improvise there.

00:12:08: You need a lot of duct tape But we seal it off so that the rooms Are well cooled and with Our air-conditioning units which also purify the air.

00:12:18: And then every race car driver, there are special cases or bags for this also brings their own pillows and they're duvet.

00:12:30: So all in all They always sleep on the same environment under mattress which is cooled with bedding air conditioning but still a different room everyday.

00:12:42: These measures, which are massively complex and consume a massive amount of manpower show just how important healthy sustainable and regenerative sleep is for our athletes so that they can perform at their best again the next day.

00:13:06: He wants to know exactly about filling the water bottles and ice packs.

00:13:13: Is that enough for an entire stage in the morning with everything packed into vehicles or is there a reload during this stage?

00:13:26: No, well starting with the preparation of bottles.

00:13:30: Of the race nutrition it's actually done in the afternoon by people who are preparing their rooms when they're conditioning units installed and everything is often four or five in the afternoons.

00:13:42: Then, these people start preparing the race nutrition for next day and of course that is also kept chilled.

00:13:49: We have our own refrigerated truck with us which then loaded into vehicles before The bottles are of course all chilled.

00:14:00: You need insane amounts of ice, we also have our own ice machine with us so that everything is very cold.

00:14:08: the challenge then drinkable ice.

00:14:10: and there's something new this year too.

00:14:12: So yes how do you say?

00:14:14: We call them slushy bottles.

00:14:16: they're sort sort of half frozen, he spottles that real I'm gonna turn liquid from the sun's heat but still remain very cold.

00:14:26: So the topic of cooling the catering even the gels are available in ice form.

00:14:31: we invest a lot and there is a lot manpower involved.

00:14:36: so everything is at right place during the race.

00:14:39: Yes do they have standard coolers with them?

00:14:41: He wants to know that too.

00:14:44: No, we already have some that run on mains power.

00:14:47: Two hundred and twenty volts but they work just as well with the electrical circuit installed in the vehicles.

00:14:54: And uh... We also have classic coolers That we just fill with crushed ice.

00:15:01: So we have both.

00:15:02: But there are certainly ten fifteen coolers of ours standing around.

00:15:07: They have to be cleaned again every single day.

00:15:10: So, there is a lot of work behind the scenes with the cold chain but also the sheer number of bottles.

00:15:16: On stages like today we certainly use two hundred fifty bottles.

00:15:20: they then have to be refilled for next day.

00:15:23: not these same ones because are given to spectators as souvenirs.

00:15:28: so only used the bottle once meaning we need two hundred and fifty new bottles every day.

00:15:34: Always exciting to hear what you report from the heart of the Tour de France.

00:15:38: Thank You very much for that!

00:15:40: So, tomorrow Monday rest day first there is probably the transfer otherwise For the riders it's likely more a rest-day.

00:15:48: but as we are already hearing quite opposite.

00:15:54: Yes, the rider's top priority is to really sleep in tomorrow.

00:15:59: They might go for a short ride an hour or an hour and half stop somewhere for coffee maybe even have a piece of cake And then the afternoon enjoy a longer massage than perhaps Have some family visit them in the hotel lobby?

00:16:14: yes Then that day it almost over for the races anyway.

00:16:17: for this tough The Day Tomorrow actually starts relatively normal.

00:16:22: Tomorrow everything will be prepared again for the next day.

00:16:26: The bikes will be checked over, the cars will be cleaned inside and out Everything will be spruced up including all the laundry.

00:16:35: And it is not just a rider's laundry but stuff on site also need new t-shirts New trousers & socks.

00:16:44: That all gets washed through as well, so rest days for the staff are at least as exhausting.

00:16:49: As a race day they're not just lying around drinking coffee or eating ice cream by their hotel pool.

00:16:56: No it is really hard work to them too.

00:16:59: And in the evening, it's a bit of tradition to have a team barbecue.

00:17:06: We set up along table next our vehicles and hotel parking lot.

00:17:12: then we let day wind down with the barbeque.

00:17:17: Exactly!

00:17:17: So that you are well fed for Tuesday too because...

00:17:22: But the BBQ is only for staff.

00:17:25: The race usually gets theirs here.

00:17:28: Okay, good.

00:17:29: Good-good-good.

00:17:29: so Exactly let's look at Tuesday.

00:17:32: it starts at thirteen ten expected arrival.

00:17:35: Seventeen twelve.

00:17:37: From Orelak we head to Lilioran.

00:17:39: One hundred sixty six kilometers will be ridden where three thousand eight hundred meters of climbing after sixty five kilometers things really get started.

00:17:48: Four category Three climbs one category two and two category one climbs.

00:17:53: the stage ends with a short but punchy final climb.

00:17:58: So that sounds, well our predictions.

00:18:01: Yes paper at Tour de France is often not worth what it costs to buy but on paper It's like a stage for the general classification riders.

00:18:13: How do you see?

00:18:15: Yes, I think so too because especially it gets harder towards the end today.

00:18:21: It has become a bit easier toward the end anyway and we are heading into the massive central.

00:18:25: anyone who's been there knows those are real mountains six seven eight kilometers long And i suspect that will be an elimination race at the front for general classification.

00:18:37: We'll support Floen & Remco as best they can if feel good which did?

00:18:43: They might try something, but we are taking the stage very seriously and trying to keep up.

00:18:49: And maybe it is almost halfway through the Tour de France – Try Something at some point!

00:18:55: Alright let's take a look on Tuesday as well….

00:19:01: We are also taking a real rest day here at Inside Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe, unlike the staff of Red Bull Borahansgrohe.

00:19:09: So Ralph we will both talk again tomorrow on Tuesday after this stage!

00:19:15: I say thank you for today and wish YOU AND THE TEAM A GOOD REST DAY And we'll talk again on Tuesday.

00:19:23: My pleasure & best regards.

00:19:25: Have a nice Sunday.

00:19:27: That was the latest edition of Inside Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe, a podcast from OVB Online on Tour de France.

00:19:36: You can find this podcast in all common podcatchers and websites like OVBMedia & Ipenmedia.

00:19:44: Thanks for listening – see you next time!