That was the tactic, but ultimately it did not pay off. Two seconds on the road and six in bonifications did see Martínez slightly expand his gap on the INEOS Grenadiers leader however it was nothing meaningful. BORA raced against INEOS and that outlines the current battle behind
Tadej Pogacar for the podium and Top10. “The race against Pogi is a bit nonsense," the German rider admits.
"I know that it disappoints people, this attitude. I read sometimes, ‘they don’t want to work, they don’t even try,’ but people change with us, it is next level what he does. It is impressive, people don’t understand, we look sometimes like clowns," Schachmann adds in brutally honest words. "Of course, we have an eye but as long as he doesn’t show any struggle, it doesn’t make sense. If he struggles one day then of course we’re going to go, but I don’t see that coming. We never know.”
By all means, BORA is having a very strong race with Martínez surprising in the first week of the race as he regained his best form. The team lost Florian Lipowitz - a crucial support rider for the mountains - however after 8 days of racing, the balance is positive.
“The maglia rosa is there and it is not written, it is not engraved yet that Tadej is going to bring it to Rome. I think to be successful you have to get up every morning and believe you can take it off him, and I think that’s what we are doing," he concluded.