Episode 3 - Le Grand Départ

We reflect on an incredible Tour de France 2020 - a race that had just about everything; thrills and spills aplenty, shock stage wins, a fierce battle for the green jersey and the yellow jersey changed hands in the final mountain time trial. BORA-hansgrohe came to the Tour with ambitions for the yellow and green jerseys and fell just short. We focus on key stages of the Tour for the team, bringing you both commentary and rider interviews. We are also delighted to welcome former British national champion Matt Stephens to the podcast to help us mull over the remarkable three weeks we’ve just been treated to!

In this episode, we take a step back from the racing and look at an issue that is increasingly important within our society and our sport - mental health. To deliver the very best elite sporting performances, riders must be in top physical shape. But it is also vital to ensure their minds are in good health too. We speak with Max Schachmann, Lennard Kämna, and Peter Sagan about pressure, media scrutiny, and confidence. Team manager Ralph Denk talks about how the team supports the riders and coach Dan Lorang explains how he keeps the riders motivated and focused, despite the extreme pressure of professional cycling. We also hear from team nutritionist Robert Gorgos, who talks about the risk of eating disorders in a sport that demands extreme weight management.

In this episode we look at the build-up to the final three stages, and their impact on the race. It was the most mountainous race in history, and the weather - be it rain or wind - played its part. But this year, there was another factor; as the coronavirus pandemic added layers of tension and drama we have never seen before in the biggest bike race on earth. We will speak to lead-out man Daniel Oss on what it is like to help Peter Sagan fight for another green jersey in the sprints. Plus, we hear from Sagan himself on what it is like to wear the green jersey riding into Paris, and how prestigious a finale it is. We also speak to the riders who reflect on their memories of Paris - the inevitable joy, euphoria, exhaustion, and disappointment as one of the greatest sporting events in the world comes to a close.

This year’s Tour de France is the most mountainous in history and in this episode, we are going to look at the epic climbs that decide this race. There are 29 categorised climbs, eight mountain stages, four summit finishes, and one mountain time trial, on the penultimate stage in the 2020 edition of the race. BORA-hansgrohe’s team leader Emmanuel Buchmann will be looking to contest the climbs at the front of this great race alongside the teams’ domestiques who will ensure he is in the best shape possible, conserving as much energy as he can, before the finale of each mountainous stage. We will hear from Emmanuel, and teammate Maximillian Schachmann about overcoming injuries, and their thoughts and tactics for the climbs in this route. We'll also hear from sports director Enrico Poitschke on the strategy, the tactics in the mountains, and how they have changed given the injuries sustained by the team before this year’s Tour. Dan Lorang talks about keeping the riders focused if they have suffered crashes, or if they are having a bad day and Peter Sagan shares what it’s like to be a sprinter in the most mountainous Tour, and how he manages the climbs, as well as having an in-depth look at some of the mountains on this year’s route.

Our third episode takes place in the midst of the first week of the Tour de France 2020. With all the drama and emotions that the Grand Départ brings, we look at the pressure the riders feel ahead of a huge stage race like this. We will hear from Peter Sagan and Emmanual Buchmann, as the two leaders of the team, on what it means to be starting another Tour de France shouldering the pressure of leading BORA-hansgrohe. Sports director Enrico Poitschke talks about the important stages to come, in pursuit of both the yellow and green jersey. We also hear from team manager Ralph Denk about his emotions at the start line of another Tour de France.

In this episode, we delve into the BORA-hansgrohe team itself and ask; what is the DNA of the team? We’ll also be going back in time and exploring the big moments of the last decade for the team, speaking to team manager Ralph Denk, Andreas Schillinger, Cesare Benedetti, and Michael Schwarzmann who have been with the team from the very start.

In our first episode, we look at what it physically takes to ride the Tour de France – exploring the riders’ nutrition and training in the run-up to cycling’s premier grueling three-week stage race. We chatted with nutritionist Robert Gorgas about what the riders eat - and don’t eat - to make sure they are at fighting weight. We also got in touch with Dan Lorang about the key aspects of training for the Tour and how he prepares the riders to take on their various roles, especially with the added complications of the coronavirus pandemic.

Take a sneak peek at the EAT.RACE.SHOWER.REPEAT podcast and the amazing journey of the BORA-hansgrohe team as they take on the Tour de France.