BORA-hansgrohe Team (Spain) - While Emanuel Buchmann takes on his first leadership at a Grand Tour, Sagan and Majka will be on the hunt for stage wins. With a strong squad to support them, BORA – hansgrohe aims for a top ten in the final GC and at least one stage win.  

“I am very proud, that now is the time for Emanuel Buchmann to take on his first leadership at a Grand Tour. This is a special moment not just for him, but also for the team and myself, as he turned pro in my team as a promising talent four years ago. He is very well prepared and already had lots of strong results in 2018. We are expecting at least a top ten in the final GC, but depending on how the race develops, I think he can do even better than that. With Peter and Rafal we have two more cards to play when it comes to stage wins. We’ll have to see how Peter recovered from his crash in the Tour, but I am confident that we’ll have a very strong team out there.” – Ralph Denk, Team Manager.

“I think I am ready. It is an honor the lead such a big team like BORA – hansgrohe at a Grand Tour, but I’ll do everything to meet the teams’ expectations. I prepared very conscientiously and the whole season went well so far. This will be my biggest challenge so far as a cyclist, but I feel I am at my best. I did everything to arrive here in perfect shape, now we need a little bit of luck to come through the Vuelta without any crashes or other setbacks.” – Emanuel Buchmann.

“I decided to race the Vuelta this year, as it fits perfectly into my preparations for the World Championships in Innsbruck. We’ll have to see how my crash at the Tour still affects me, but I feel I am on a good way back to my best. There are a lot of interesting stages at the Vuelta. We have a really strong team here in Spain, and a lot of cards to play when it comes to stage wins - and of course I’ll also try to take one as well.” – Peter Sagan, UCI World Champion.

“I came through the Tour in good shape. I was back at my best in the last week, and I still feel fresh enough to do a good Vuelta. I spent the last weeks again at altitude and prepared well. My role changed, and I am here to go for stage wins. I have very good memories from the Vuelta and I am ready to fight for results the next three weeks.” – Rafal Majka.

Line-up:

• Emanuel Buchmann 
• Marcus Burghardt
• Davide Formolo 
• Rafał Majka ​
• Jay McCarthy 
• Lukas Pöstlberger
• Peter Sagan
• Michael Schwarzmann