Last week was a special one for the team as four out of the six riders racing Lidl Deutschland Tour (Tour of Germany) were German. Marco Brenner, freshly crowned German Champion, was racing alongside fellow countrymen, Marius Mayrhofer, Florian Stork and Hannes Wilksch. Swiss rider Sébastien Reichenbach and Dutch Maikel Zijlaard completed the team.
28.08.2024
It was a tough week of racing, but our riders could count on some extra support from their family, friends and fans.This race on homesoil was even more special for Marco. He had already made his first appearance with the German national champion jersey, but this time it had a whole different taste. People recognized him, shouted his name, asked for photos together and for his autograph. Despite his young age, he turned 22 on the 27th of August, he passed the test “with flying colors”. And the least we can say is that theblack, red and gold suit him very well.
The eve of the race, Marco received a new BMC Teammachine R with a special design celebrating his new colors. “I was really motivated to come to this race with the new jersey, and even more when I discovered the new bike.I really like it! When it comes to racing, I didn’t have much expectation in terms of results, as I knew the race suited better sprinters and punchers, but I still wanted to be aggressive in the final of stages and it was a great week of efforts for the next goals”.
The low pressure for results turned into a bigger enjoyment of the race for Marco. Besides the increased number of requests from media, the biggest demand came from fans, who were looking for him to get an autograph or a picture with him. “Before every stage, I took some time for the fans and I really enjoyed it” Marco explains. “I believe that taking a moment with them can give a smile to people and small kids, so it’s always a nice moment.” This attitude granted him the “Community jersey” as “Mr. Nice Guy” by fans in a survey conducted by the race organisers on social media.
That’s not all. Marco also had the chance to race with his younger brother, Mauro, and to be supported by his family (and dogs): “It was cool to race with my brother for the first time in a professional race. We had already raced together at national champs in the last years, but this was our first pro race together. I also enjoyed seeing people that I’ve known for many years from smaller races and local clubs.”
Overall, it was a great experience for Marco: “It was a pretty hard race. I am happy for Florian (Stork) who managed to get an important result (5th of the last stage and 6th in GC). He struggled with injuries in the past years, and it was not always easy for him, so I am really happy for him and the team.” Mr. Nice Guy. 😊
Photos: Marcel Hilger and Tudor Pro Cycling