Ambitious plans: The 2022 DM organisers from the Sauerland region

TOUR: World championships and a professional team - what is your motivation behind these plans?

VOLKERT It's pure enthusiasm, we want to bring cycling to the fore, and we are also convinced Sauerlanders. We want the Sauerland to be the coolest cycling region! We invest a lot of time and money - we are motivated, committed, and the politicians and the sporting state of NRW are behind us. And - the long-time controller in me is now coming through - in the end we want to earn money. As long as we are a Conti team, everything is invested in material, personnel and the racing programme. As soon as we become a pro team, however, there is a "management fee" for us.

SCHERF Our drive is to become the second German professional team. Bora is already very international in terms of riders. We would really like to fly the German flag high.

How is the Saris-Rouvy-Sauerland team currently organised?

VOLKERT We have five sports managers, five mechanics, five physios - and last year we built a service course in Arnsberg, right on the Ruhr Valley cycle path. We've done our homework: if a big money sponsor were to come for a professional team, we'd already have something to show them.

SCHERF If we don't make it for next year, we'll start as a Continental team with a good racing programme that develops racing drivers - then we'll take the next step more slowly.

We want to become the coolest cycling region!

And now you also want to bring the Road World Championships to Germany - for the first time since Stuttgart 2007.

SCHERF The German Championships were part of the timetable for the World Championships - that was a requirement of the German Cycling Federation. We want to bring major events to the region. The ultimate goal is, of course, a world championship - we've already had them here in the Sauerland in bobsleigh, luge and skeleton in Winterberg, as well as ski jumping in Willingen. Something is still missing in summer. The idea is supported by Sportland NRW.

VOLKERT We need another five to seven years at most. The DM in Sauerland should show that: Something is happening, they are doing something - they are daring.

More about the 2022 Road Cycling World Championships in Sauerland:

• German Championships: Brennauer defends time trial title despite crash
• Road cycling championships: Kämna takes over from Martin in the time trial
• Lippert German road cycling champion for the second time
• In the German champion jersey for the Tour: Politt continues on the road to success