The interview was conducted by Tim Farin
TOUR: Mr Aldag, how do you explain the dominance of Jumbo-Visma in the grand tours?
Rolf Aldag: I believe it is the result of a very determined and long-term concept. This includes good scouting, structures and, ultimately, money. But they only became one of the financially strongest teams when they were promoted, before that they had to turn a lot of things round twice to get through. Grand Tours may be living off the current euphoria at the moment, but everything is based on long-term planning.
TOUR: Can we expect the arms race between the big teams to continue?
Rolf Aldag: At the top, there seems to be more money than you could spend on potential Grand Tour winners at the moment. I would say there are four big teams that are tugging and pulling for grand tour wins. But it also takes patience. Ineos has now signed Carlos Rodriguez for the long term. But even from him you can't expect the level of a Jonas Vingegaard or Tadej Pogacar expect.
TOUR: What chances does Bora-Hansgrohe have in this competition?
Rolf Aldag: With the signing of Primoz Roglic and the framework conditions that we have, I assume that we can also go for a win. Structurally, our team is ready for it. We won the Giro 2022 and have great riders in the team. If it's purely based on the scientific facts, we can be in contention for stage wins.
