Cycling - Professional cyclist Zimmermann aims for first Tour stage win
Professional Georg Zimmermann hopes for success at the Tour de France this year after coming close to winning a stage last year. He is aware of the challenge, "Perhaps for me, there will be one or two opportunities for my first Tour de France stage win. It all has to come together on one day," said the 26-year-old to the German Press Agency before the start of the 111th edition of the three-week race in Florence on Saturday. The first stage to Rimini features a total of 3600 meters in elevation.
Zimmermann is participating in the Tour de France for the fourth time. "It would be a beautiful, wonderful success - for which I would have invested a lot of hard work," said Zimmermann. However, he also cautioned, "But the world keeps turning if I don't take this stage win with me." Zimmermann's best career result was a stage win at the Dauphiné-Rundfahrt in 2023.
Hopes for a first German stage win rest on Zimmermann and the Bora-Hansgrohe team. The last German stage win was by Nils Politt in Nimes on the twelfth stage in 2021. Last year, sprinter Phil Bauhaus and Zimmermann both came close to a black, red, and gold stage win.
In Issoire, Zimmermann came close to victory on the tenth stage in 2023. In the sprint finish, he was beaten by the Spaniard Pello Bilbao. He had gone too fast. The climber Rennfahrer does not want that to happen again. Above all, he feels fit. "The preparation went perfectly, I have come through without complications. I feel ready," Zimmermann stated clearly.
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The German Press Agency reported on Zimmermann's ambitions, highlighting his aim for a stage victory at the International Tour de France in France. His team, Bora-Hansgrohe, also shares this hope, as Italy marks their fourth participation for Zimmermann in the renowned cycling event. Despite the challenge, Zimmermann's previous best result was a stage win at the Dauphiné-Rundfahrt in 2023, offering a taste of what might come in this year's Tour de France. Last year, both Zimmermann and sprinter Phil Bauhaus nearly secured a stage win, reinforcing Germany's position in the Professional cycling scene, with Florence and Rimini marking significant stages in this quest.
