Sports

Tactics instead of top form: Polit and the surprise effect in Flanders

Maybe Nils Politt takes a wisdom from the boxing as a mission statement. Dropping fighters, it says there, be the most dangerous. And Polit hangs a little in the ropes in front of the four most important weeks of classic season in cycling. At three times the Cologne knocked out a bronchitis in recent weeks, which is why he has maximally outsider opportunities at the Flanders Tour on Sunday. “You have to be realistic, for the front of Flanders is difficult to impossible,” said Polit of the DPA.

After the departure from Topstar Peter Sagan, the 28-year-old in the classics is the figurehead of the German Team Bora-Hansgrohe. With a view to his palmares. With the places five in Flanders and two at Paris-Roubaix three years ago, Polit has moved into the world’s top and also established himself at the latest with the solo stage win at the past Tour de France.

Polit: “Unfortunately we do not have a single driver who is really in top form”

But health does not play in these weeks, which lacks training sessions and racing hardness. “Our entire team was spotted by diseases and unfortunately we have no single driver who is really in top shape,” said Polit. Some of the racing stable had only ten performer drivers, did not occur with many races with the maximum allowable number of professionals.

Bora-Hansgrohe has not exclusive this trouble in Peloton. At Paris-Nice, an influenza shaft put half the field lame, many stars were missing at Milan-Sanremo. And last week, European champion Sonny Colberrelli broke together after the first stage of the Catalonia tour and had to be re-leveled. For the Italian it was the first race after a bronchitis.

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Therefore, Bora is not restless. “It would be unfair to measure Nils in Flanders on the second place of Roubaix. But his morality is definitely true,” Sportschef Rolf Aldag said the DPA. And when the top form is not there, the ex-pro race for the 272.5 kilometer long race over 18 toxic climbs and Obst of Flemish cobblestones just on a surprise tactics for Polit. “We will offensively drive and think something,” said the 53-year-old. Maybe the Wednesday of this week was already a test, when Polit was long in a vesting group through Flanders and became the end of fifth.

Wout Van Aert and Jumbo Visa dominated the classics so far

The big favorite threatens to fault. Wout van aert from the so far so dominant Jumbo-Visa team did not feel well on Thursday and had to pause. His use is insecure according to team information.

As a further winner of the winners, the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel and over-driver Tadej Pogacar apply. The Slovene drives as a professional for the first time in Flanders, allegedly only to prepare for the cobblestone patch of this year’s Tour de France. But at the latest since Pogacar the Lombardy tour and the gravel piston race Strade Bianche won at first participation, one will appreciate the 23-year-old.

Polit dreams of Paris-Roubaix

And Polit can mainly use Flanders to collect racing kilometers. Because his great dream is more of the victory at Paris-Roubaix – and there will benefit him of the calendar this year. Instead of traditionally a week to Flanders, the “hell of the North” takes place for two weeks later because of the French presidential elections this year. “It’s good for Nils that he can have a bit of air and build up,” said Aldag. His chances are definitely greater than in Flanders. But maybe it works with the surprise tactics.