Bora-hansgrohe team boss Ralph Denk does not recognise a consistently positive development in the current German cycling generation.
"If you look at the statistics, 2019 was a really big year for German cycling. Bora-hansgrohe with Emanuel Buchmann, Maximilian Schachmann and Pascal Ackermann were the main contributors. After that, it wasn't the easiest of years for German cycling," Denk told the German Press Agency ahead of the Eschborn-Frankfurt cycling classic, which will be held on 1 May.
Former Tour de France fourth-placed Buchmann is plagued by bad luck. "Pascal (Ackermann) is no longer at the level he was at when he won ten races plus per season," said Denk about his former pro. The official continued: "Max Schachmann has pulled the coals out of the fire with two Paris-Nice wins. Lennard Kämna is also always good for a surprise."
Perhaps 2019 was a brilliant year, but you have to be realistic. "We don't have the concentration of talent that some other countries have. It's a huge bureaucratic hurdle to organise bike races in Germany," said Denk. The last German winners at Eschborn-Frankfurt were Ackermann (2019) and John Degenkolb in 2011.
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