Knee problems as a reason
Germany's best will not be competing in the upcoming Tour de France Femmes. Ricarda Bauernfeind is definitely missing from the line-up of her racing team Canyon//SRAM Racing for the most important women's stage race, which will begin on 12 August in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Last year, the cyclist won the 5th stage to Albi in the Tour on her own and finished ninth overall. Team boss Ronny Lauke confirmed at the request of TOUR. "Ricarda is unfortunately injured and therefore unable to take part in the Tour. That limits us a little tactically, we will miss her a lot. Her knee is currently causing problems. Ricarda is working with the team doctors to get the problem under control."
The Canyon//SRAM Racing line-up for the women's Tour de France
- Neve Bradbury
- Elise Chabbey
- Chloe Dygert
- Kasia Niewiadoma
- Soraya Paladin
- Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka
- Alice Towers
This season, the start at the Tour of France was considered the highlight of the season for the 24-year-old from Eichstätt. Her hometown newspaper Danube Courier she said: "The body is not cooperating." After finishing sixth overall at the Vuelta a Espana in the spring, she contested her last race on 12 May at the Tour of the Basque Country. Canyon//SRAM Racing will enter the race with the Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma as their top rider. There are no German riders in the line-up. Antonia Niedermaier, fifth in the Giro d'Italia, was not included. The second German racing team at the start, Ceratizit-WNT, has also decided not to include any German riders in its line-up.
Few Germans at the start
Franziska Koch has been confirmed as a Tour starter from Germany. The 24-year-old, who comes from Mettmann, is expected to play a support role for Team dsm-firmenich PostNL for classification rider Juliette Labous and sprinter Charlotte Kool. Liane Lippert is also expected to start for Team Movistar. The 26-year-old won the 2nd stage to Mauriac last year. The rider from Friedrichshafen, who had been injured for a long time, showed her improving form with a stage win at the Giro d'Italia in July.
Andreas Kublik
Editor
