Last German to win was Rudi Altig in 1966
The Germans have had a long wait for a win in the World Championships elite men’s road race, with Rudi Altig being the last one in 1966, on home soil. With André Greipel they have a clear team leader, more than in other years. The entire team is build around the sprinter on the flat course in Copenhagen. Greipel can take a lesson from compatriot Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, who opened up the sprint too early on the uphill finishing straight. Still, a bronze medal for Greipel would be a great success for the German team.
Greipel was happy with the team’s selection. “A strong team will start the race,” he wrote on his personal web site. “We are all very motivated.” The German has no problem with being named one of the favorites. “I will accept the challenge to race as the captain and I will do everything to honor the faith people have in me.”
Greipel is certain that the German team can play a role on Sunday. “If the race goes the way we expect it then we have a good chance for a medal,” he said at the team’s pre-race press conference according to Radsport News. One important factor in getting it to a bunch sprint is to contain Philippe Gilbert. “We hope for the weakest Gilbert of all season, a high speed and few attacks, so that we can get it to a bunch sprint in the end,” Greipel said.
In order to make it few attacks in the end, the pace has to be kept high. Time trial World Champion Tony Martin is the man for that, but he will be working a little earlier than is the case at HTC Highroad’s sprint train for Mark Cavendish. “I think I will have to work three to five kilometers to keep the pace high so that no attacks happen,” Martin explained.
There definitely will be attacks early in the race and Bert Grabsch and Andreas Klier are the riders to join those. “There are multiple possible winners, we also have one,” Klier said. “It will be important to make Mark Cavendish tired.” It will also be important to avoid the crashes on the sometimes tight course with several roundabouts. “In the end a group with 60 to 70 riders will go,” Klier said. “If we are lucky all of us will be still there. If the TV spectators don’t see us on the screen for a long time we did everything right.”
There are also two youngsters on the team, John Degenkolb (22) and this year’s sprint revelation Marcel Kittel (23). Kittel didn’t want to predict that he could finish the marathon race. “We will see, but it will be very hard. If I have done my job earlier it is good. Or maybe I get the experience to still be there in such a final.”
Greipel has had a good look onto the finishing straight. “Riders who go into the wind too early will lose,” he said. Teutenberg has proven him right. “It will be better to come up from further behind.”
It will be hard to time it right with several good sprinters in the race. “There is one favorite [Gilbert] and then many others who can contest the win. We are part of that group,” he said.