Stage 13: "The mood is a bit somber – but no blame on Maxim van Gils"

Breakaway riders, take note. On the long road to Belfort, many riders fancied their chances. The dominant Tadej Pogačar let them go, and so, at the end of Stage 14, the Swiss rider Mauro Schmid took the victory. Right there in the battle for the win: Maxim van Gils from Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. In the end, he finished fourth. "The mood is a bit somber – but no blame on Maxim van Gils," says Ralph Denk, team manager of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. Meanwhile, Tom Pidcock, a prominent name, launched an attack on the overall standings podium. He moved up from eleventh to fourth place. "I never got nervous," Denk says about it. The Briton had simply lost too much time "involuntarily" in the general classification so far. In the background, the focus is on the development of the Raubling-based team's youth. The U19 and U23 categories have become a major priority, especially since Red Bull joined. Denk explains the philosophy behind it and how, in the best-case scenario, the team aims to produce the next Tour winner. On the fourteenth day of the Tour, things get really tough for the riders. Le Markstein Fellering is the name of the mountain finish after four incredibly brutal climbs. A challenge for Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe? "It will be a hard battle among the best riders. We want to be right up there with Remco and Florian," says Denk.