On the eve of the big departure of the 80th edition of The returnteam sports director Visma | Lease a BikeGerman Grischa Niermannspoke at a press conference. He answered questions from many journalists, among whom was Cyclism’Actuabout the preparation of its leader, the Danish Jonas Vingegaardfor the Tour of Spainfrom the rest of his season, as well as the choice of the eight runners selected for the big departure planned in Turin, on August 23.
“Uae? They have other assets than Pogacar …”
I believe that the team has won four of the last six editions here. Is this an advantage for you?
I do not know if it is an advantage, but of course, having the experience of winning big towers, even if it is not specifically the Vuelta, is clearly an asset. We came here with Jonas (Vingegaard) and a very solid team. We are here to win, but it will not be easy. This is our goal.
What do you think of a technical point of view? What do you think will be the key moments when the differences will be created?
We have a very clear idea on this subject, but as usual, I will not reveal our tactics. It is a very difficult race, with ten arrivals at the top, from the second day and until stage 20. You will have to be in good shape throughout the race. As for the best stages in Jonas, you will see it in the next three weeks.
What is the plan for Sepp and Matteo during this race? In 2023, there did not seem to be a clear leader. Do they have well-defined roles this time?
Yes, this time, we have a clear leader: Jonas. Obviously, Sepp (Kuss) and Matteo (Jorgenson) are very strong, and we are lucky to be able to count on them. The way we use them tactically will be revealed during the race. But Jonas is our leader, it's very clear.
How important will the team trial by team time be? How long do you think you can win or lose in front of your rivals?
The team time trial is a great discipline. We won it in Paris this year, so our goal is to be competitive for victory. Looking at the starting list, I don't see us like the favorites. The course is flat and fairly short, less than 30 minutes, so I do not expect large deviations for the general classification. But of course, we hope to save a little time.
“Uae? They have other assets than Tadej Pogacar …”
Visma has shown its ability to win large towers with several runners, Primoz, Jonas, SEPP, etc. While the UAE only won with Tadej. Is this an advantage for you or every big tour is a new story?
I think each big tour starts from scratch. Ayuso and Almeida are both capable of winning. We believe we can beat them, but I will certainly not exclude that one of them, or Del Toro, or another UAE runner, can win a great tour in the future. They have other assets than Tadej.
What do you expect from Ben Tulett and Axel Zingle, who participate in their first big round with the team?
We have selected them because we think they can play a key role. Ben has already proven several times this year that he is very strong. Axel was with us in the Pyrenees, and even if he had a bad fall in May, he is back now. We have a team of eight very solid runners, and they will have an important role in this support.
You will have Jesper Morkov in the car of sports director during this Vuelta. What does he bring to the team, and why did you choose it for this race?
We recruited Jesper last year, when we were looking for an additional sports director. He was already working a lot with Espen Aarereskjold, one of our coaches. He made a very good impression, and he will be here for the Vuelta alongside Maarten Wynants for the race coaching. I will be more behind this time. We have all confidence in Jesper and Maarten.
What specific qualities brings Jesper to the team?
He's an excellent coach. He has great expertise in the sprint field, which is useful for runners like Jonas. He often accompanies Olaf on the races, because he is very interested in massive sprints. But that does not prevent him from directing a large tour. He is still young, but he already has a lot of experience as a coach, and he does a very good job. And then, it's nice for Jonas to be able to speak a little Danish with someone, without the others understanding!
