Emanuel Buchmann is hoping for a chance to win a stage at the Tour de France.
"We have to see what situations arise in the short term. If I slip into a group, it obviously doesn't make sense to just drop back," said Buchmann. The 30-year-old is in top form at the Tour and has been earmarked by Team Bora-Hansgrohe as a noble helper for captain Jai Hindley. The Australian is in third place in the classification after nine stages.
Buchmann currently rates his form as better than at last year's Giro d'Italia, where he finished seventh. However, he is not in the same shape as in 2019, when he finished the Tour in fourth place. The rider from Ravensburg is currently 13th in the overall standings and could go even higher. "That would be cool if it somehow worked out," said Buchmann, but emphasised: "The priority is for Jai to finish on the podium. We have nothing to gain if he finishes fifth and I finish eighth. He should rather finish on the podium and I'll just finish 13th or 17th."
Buchmann does not believe that Hindley, who won the Giro in 2022, will move any further ahead, given that Jonas Vingegaard is in the lead and Tadej Pogacar is in pursuit. "If they keep up their form, the first two places are definitely taken. But you never know what will happen in the Tour," said Buchmann.
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