Ahead of the final week of the 105th Giro d'Italia, German cycling hopeful Emanuel Buchmann still sees potential for the podium.
"I'm still feeling pretty good. The rest day is just right. The last two stages were extremely difficult," said the climbing specialist. "I'm trying to regenerate as best I can. And I think everything is still possible as a team. Everyone in our team looks pretty good. Let's see what else we can do."
Buchmann optimistic
Buchmann goes into the final week, in which four mountain stages are on the programme, in seventh place overall. Buchmann is 1:58 minutes behind overall leader Richard Carapaz from Ecuador and 1:28 minutes behind third-placed Joao Almeida from Portugal. "We have the strongest team here for the mountains. We have to take advantage of that tactically if we can," said Buchmann. "The main goal is for one of us to be on the podium at the end."
Buchmann's preparation was not optimal due to illness, but the build-up in form was designed to be at its strongest in the final week. "We can be very satisfied with how things are going," said the 29-year-old. Buchmann is the captain of Team Bora-hansgrohe alongside the Australian Jai Hindley, who is currently second and only seven seconds behind Carapaz.
Kämna aims for next stage success
Lennard Kämna will be back on the stage hunt when the opportunity arises. The highly gifted North German has already won the fourth stage on Mount Etna. "But I've already realised that it will be difficult to get into a group. Many eyes are on me when I ride away," said the 25-year-old.
The final week of the Giro begins on Tuesday with the 16th stage over 202 kilometres from Salò to Aprica. There are three first-category mountains to conquer. "This is a really tough stage, probably the hardest of the Giro. You have to have good legs," said Buchmann.
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