Nico Denz has long been known as a loyal helper, but during this Giro he also presented himself as a stage hijacker pur sang. The German speed rider won no fewer than two stages. Nevertheless, he is not yet thinking of another role within the BORA-hansgrohe team.
“Although I have won two stages, I am very happy with my current role. I also get a lot of satisfaction from my role as a servant and want to continue to do so, also after the Giro,” he said at a press conference during the rest day.
Lennard Kamna
In addition to the two stage victories with Denz, BORA-hansgrohe also has an asset for the general classification in its ranks. Lennard Kämna is seventh in the standings, just two minutes behind Thomas, the top-ranked GC rider. That offers perspective, but the German is under no illusions. “I will not attack at first. For me it is important that I lose as little time as possible and stick to it.”
It is Kämna’s first job as a classification rider in a grand tour, the 26-year-old driver looks back on the past two weeks. “They were very special. It was extremely hectic and tough, but I’m happy with where I am now. Hopefully we can continue this line.”
Schlager music
Denz is in the shape of his life and looks very good in his skin. Despite the fact that his victories are already a few days behind us, he can’t quite comprehend it yet. “It still feels unreal. It’s all so overwhelming, I’ll probably need a few more weeks to process it all.”
The baroudeur impressed on the bike, but off it he still caused quite a few frowned eyebrows. After his first stage victory, he said that he is an ardent fan of schlager, during the press moment he went into this in detail. “Schlager is cool! If you’re not familiar with it, you should really listen to it. It is absolutely worth it.”
Kämna also contributed, because he is not averse to some schlager tunes in his time. “I also like it, but certainly not as much as Nico,” said the German climber.