Cycling pro Nico Denz on the Tour de France, La Vuelta and his home building works.
In the interview, he talks about how his dream of being a professional cyclist came true, his retreat after a hard day of training and his home building works.
At home in the Black Forest
Nico, we are thrilled to have you and your family come visit us at the Hansgrohe Aquademie in Schiltach in the Black Forest today. Had you heard of the Hansgrohe Aquademie before now?
Nico Denz: Yes, we live in the Black Forest, so we had heard of the Hansgrohe Aquademie. But this is my first visit. It was our neighbors who first introduced us to the Hansgrohe Showerworld. We were at a get-together, and some of them were really raving about it and highly recommended we visit. We weren’t disappointed – my family and I had so much fun here today!
Are you doing any building or renovation work right now?
We bought a house a few years ago and are currently adding an extension, so we will have extra bedrooms for the kids, a kitchen, and a new bathroom.
Is there something your bathroom at home absolutely must have?
We are flirting with the idea of a hansgrohe Rainfinity shower pipe. We have the shower system on the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe team bus and we also tested it once again in the Hansgrohe Showerworld today. We’re really impressed. As far as we are concerned, this shower pipe offers the perfect shower experience!
You got to see and experience our variety of surface finishes here. Which one do you like best?
Nico Denz: All the FinishPlus surface finishes look great and are very stylish. Personally, we are really into the classics – stainless steel and chrome.
Does the bathroom become your happy place after an exhausting training session or race?
Nico Denz: The bathroom is definitely my first port of call after training or a race!
I had my first really good shower experience as a professional cyclist on the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe team bus. Showering there is sometimes better than showering at home! On other team buses, the water pressure is often insufficient, and the water flow can be temperamental.
We are often mobbed by spectators and the media near the finish line, but once we get through that bus door, all the pressure seemingly melts away. After a cold race, there’s nothing nicer than a hot shower, and after an extremely hot race, there’s nothing better than a cold shower. So it’s a major advantage because we athletes can definitely recover better and more quickly with the help of a good shower.
We have the Rainfinity shower system on the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe team bus and are really impressed. As far as we are concerned, this shower pipe offers the perfect shower experience.
Nico Denz, Radprofi im Team Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
When dreams come true
Another highlight of this year, in addition to your home construction project, was your first Tour de France performance for the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe team. Was racing in the Tour a lifelong dream come true?
The Tour de France was definitely the reason why I took up cycling all those years ago. Being part of the Tour de France was a childhood dream of mine.
I have been a pro since 2015, so I could have done my first Tour de France in 2016. But I had to wait eight more years.
The wait was worth it, though, because the first stages were super impressive with all the spectators lining the streets and the huge media interest around our common goal. We wanted to win the Tour de France, so everyone’s expectations were very high. Nevertheless, this pressure had a really positive effect on us. We were euphoric, wanted to be leading the race, and were also confident we could do it.
In the end, it wasn’t a good Tour for us. We were hoping for more and are still very disappointed.
It was an extremely hot one, especially during the first three stages in Italy!
How does such extreme weather impact you guys? Did you prepare for it before the race?
I’m a huge fan of the sauna, so I use heat acclimatization to prepare for my races in the height of summer. After training, I head straight to the sauna and either have a long session (around 30 minutes) or, if my circulation can’t take it, several shorter sauna sessions.
The Tour de France route crossed the dusty gravel roads of the Champagne region for the first time. There were very mixed opinions about the gravelly Stage 9. Tell us, how hard was it really?
Really hard! Most sectors were OK and good to ride on. But, in my opinion, the race organizers made certain sections worse in their attempts to improve them by trying to “plug” holes. In the end, the loose grit on the road was extremely dangerous because cyclists had no grip. Personally, I’m not a fan of these kinds of stages for this reason. Not during a Grand Tour and especially not given the debates surrounding more safety.
Crossing the finish line as a team
After Stage 9, Aleks Vlasov needed to drop out with a fractured ankle, as did Primoz Roglic after two serious falls. How quickly can a team adapt to a situation like that? What was running through your minds at that point?
We are all racers at heart. We always want to give our best. After Primoz left, we got everything back in balance. But with Aleks’ exit, we had already lost our backup. The competition really rode hard during the stages in the last week of the Tour, so breakaway groups didn’t stand much of a chance or have many options.
We tried really hard, but this made us lose lots of energy, so we were sadly forced to finish the race with a very disappointing result. It was definitely emotional and a very difficult time for us all.
Setting aside Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe’s run of bad luck, there were a few positive stories that came out of the Tour de France. Like Romain Bardet’s victory in Stage 1. And Biniam Girmay’s achievement of being the first Black African cyclist to win the green jersey at the Tour de France. Who do you think is the biggest winner of this year’s race?
This year’s Tour de France once again made history. I can certainly name a few personal highlights. It was an excellent race for Girmay and Team Intermarché-Wanty. Mark Cavendish is also worthy of a mention – by winning 35 stages at the Tour de France alone, he showed the world exactly what he is capable of. I also know Romain Bardet personally, as we used to be on the same team. He truly deserves this send-off from professional cycling. And, of course, Vingegaard’s comeback after his major crash was very impressive.
You recently extended your contract with the team. What makes you feel so at home with Team Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, and what are your goals for the future?
When I got to the team camp in the Ötztal Valley in Austria in October 2022, I immediately felt like I belonged. I wasn’t treated like the new guy, so I felt comfortable and at home from the very first second. During my race in early 2023, I even had to remind our sports director that it was my first event for Team Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe.
In other words, the transition was extremely smooth. In 2023, I was also able to celebrate the best year of my career so far. The results went my way and the mood in the team was electric. This was one of the determining factors in us continuing to work together.
