While a good portion of the peloton will be racing over the roads in Italy competing in the Giro, another group of riders will be taking to the less hectic, quieter roads in the Bavarian countryside for the Bayern Rundfahrt. 

Even though this southern German race may come with less pressure, that does not mean that it will be at all easy.  Of this point, Stefan Denifl is convinced.

“This race is known for its beauty, but also for how hard it is,” Denifl explained.  “The stages are very long; they often nudge or even exceed 200 kilometers.  Then the route is never flat, rather it’s super hilly.  For me, this is a very open race.  The top team leaders are generally off at the Giro, so there is a large group of riders left here who can fight for the victory.”

 
In terms of his own chances, Stefan Denifl remains realistic.  After nine months out of competition due to a sore and inflamed knee, Denifl, who was the best climber at this race in 2013, prefers to aim for achievable goals. 

“In recovering, I have set myself specific steps to take.  The first was to resume training properly without pain on the bike.  I have been able to do that for a few weeks already.  Now the next step is to finish a race without suffering any particular pain.  If I can do that, I will really be very happy.  I’m not afraid, but for the moment my goal is mainly just to make it to the finish. 

"I have a special feeling for this race, and I have always had good results.  The best young rider and best climber, second on a stage, several times in the top-10: those are pretty consistently good results.  I have many fond memories of this event and I hope that this year for my recovery, the good series will continue.”

Line-up
Thomas Degand (Bel)
Stefan Denifl (Aut)
Jonathan Fumeaux (S)
Pirmin Lang (S)
Patrick Schelling (S)
Jonas Van Genechten (Bel)
Larry Warbasse (USA)