"Unfortunately, cycling still has a bad reputation in the media due to its doping past. So it's natural for parents to ask their children whether they'd rather play football," Bauhaus told the Funke media group newspapers before the start of the Deutschland Tour.
He realises that reporting on this topic is the job of journalism and that it is looked at more closely in Germany than in other countries. "Nevertheless, in my opinion, you shouldn't be surprised if a twelve-year-old child thinks twice about whether they want to start cycling if the Tour de France broadcasts are very much about doping."
Bauhaus speaks of pigeonholing
This leads to pigeonholing, said Bauhaus: "Even if a German races for the yellow jersey in the near future, every second person will think: He's doped anyway. That won't change for a while."
Bauhaus finished on the podium three times at the Tour de France this year. He is curious to see "whether something has changed for me personally after the Tour de France, whether I am recognised more often", said the 29-year-old from Bocholt with a view to the tour in his home country. He is now recognised more often in training and asked for photos.
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