Tour de France unsung heroes: Lukas Pöstlberger – big beats, pizza in the grupetto

Throughout the Tour de France, VeloNews will be talking to some of the unsung heroes in the peloton – those riders that battle on each day without the recognition the major GC favorites or sprint stars receive.

There’s a simple equation to decide who is the DJ on Bora-Hansgrohe’s Tour de France bus.

The first rider to get a Bluetooth connection.

Once the connection is established, the whole musical world is your oyster, and Lukas Pöstlberger has eclectic tastes. However, when it comes to getting pumped for a race then some big sounds are necessary.

Also read: Tour de France unsung heroes: Nils Eekhoff a wise head on young shoulders

“My range is quite big. I like almost everything. To get into the mood for the races, I like a bit of house, dance, dubstep or hip-hop, and rock. A few fast beats and drums to get in the mood,” Pöstlberger told VeloNews.

“We still keep the tradition and play it outside as well. There are always people around and even if the mechanics are outside preparing the bikes and they like music. In the city, you hear it from almost anywhere,” Pöstlberger said.

Riding as a teammate of Sagan often means a little more attention wherever you go, especially when you’re riding through the hoards of crowds that line the climbs in the Pyrénées and the Alps.

Well behind the cameras that shadow the GC favorites duking it out on the road is the gruppetto. Often a large group of riders grinding the way towards the finish line. Every cheer and, perhaps, push helps, and when you’re with Sagan there’s no shortage of support.

“There are not as many spectators but still there are, and even with those it helps a lot. When we went up the Tourmalet a few years ago it was impressive,” Pöstlberger told VeloNews. “In the grupetto, it was so loud, and everybody was shouting Peter’s name because we used to stick to him, and everyone was going crazy about him.

“You have to eat all the time rice cakes and energy bars, in the past the strangest thing I saw was when we grabbed a slice of pizza or a baguette from the roadside, sometimes from the soigneurs or from the spectators. Of course, it was in the last mountain stage because you cannot risk getting sick early in the race,” Pöstlberger said.

Was there a nice beer to wash down that roadside pizza? Yes, just don’t tell anyone.

“I did, yes, but you cannot tell anybody because you will get told off by the DS or the management,” he said with a laugh.

Making it to Paris

Pöstlberger – who spent several days in yellow at the Critérium du Dauphiné last month – is riding his fourth Tour de France after making his debut back in 2018. Even as an experienced professional, the Tour de France is still a special date in the calendar.

The doctors have checked him over and found no signs of an allergy, so he’s hoping that France’s flying insects will leave him alone this year.

“I have tried to improve my performance, so I don’t have to open my mouth for breathing,” he joked.

This year, as well as helping his teammates, he is determined to make it back to the Champs-Élysées and experience the feeling he did when he completed the loop of France in 2018.

“Crossing the finish line in Paris is a really cool moment,” he told VeloNews. “It’s a unique moment because there is so much pressure and tension for three weeks.

“I did my first Tour with a really good friend of mine Gregor Mühlberger, and for him, it was also the first Tour de France. Being there together with a really good friend was great. We got dropped because we were chasing the breakaway for Peter and then we did the last lap at our speed.

“It was just us two and all the fans and this was a goosebumps moment. Going around on the Champs Élysées with my teammate and crossing the line and knowing that we made it to Paris, that’s amazing. It’s hard to describe it.”