Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe confident they did everything possible to prepare for the gravel stage: "It will still be a lottery. The key is not to have bad luck"

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe entered the Tour de France with only the highest ambitions. Their fresh signing Primoz Roglic is set to target the overall victory and after the first eight stages, his position in the GC indeed doesn't seem too bad. However another major danger awaits the Slovenian on Sunday when riders will be challenged by the gravel roads near Troyes.

"We did three reconnaissances," says sports director Rolf Aldag in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. "I did the first one by car. Then we sent our technical specialists, after that the riders went to have a look. Primoz went to reconnaissance after Liège-Bastogne-Liège. We tried out different tires and bike settings."

However weather could play role in the stage, as the forecast is threathening with a possibility of rain. That could change the situation massively according to Aldag. "On Friday we sent someone over the lanes again. Because when we saw the course, it was wet every time and that gives different circumstances," Aldag explains.

Apparently the organisers made some adjustments to the so-called white roads, although it's unclear to which extent. "Moreover, the ASO has announced that they were working on the lanes at the end of June. That could mean anything. Did they just fill some holes with new gravel? Or did they go over it with a machine?"

Just like other GC teams, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe did everything in their power to prevent every possible outcome of the stage with aim to get through the tricky stage as smoothly as possible. "We are prepared: we have 51 sets of wheels ready for our eight riders. But it will still be a lottery. The key is not to have bad luck. That’s why I'm not a big fan of these kinds of rides. It’s like they say: you can’t win the Tour, but you can lose it."