His omission from the Tour de France selection last season was a symptom rather than a cause. Already then, Pascal Ackermann was about to leave Bora-Hansgrohe. Then, in early August, it was officially announced that he had signed a contract with UAE team Emirates for the 2022 season.

At first glance, the transfer appeared to be a contradiction in terms. Tadei Pogachar's move to the team meant that Ackermann would effectively be excluded from the 2022 Tour, and it proved to be the case. The Vuelta a España is his only Grand Tour program this season. However, the German insists that he changed the stage not so much to compete in the Tour, but rather to restart his career. [He told Cycling News from the UAE Team Emirates training camp in Alicante.

"Last year I felt I could still improve. What is really important for me now is to get better, to get back to what I achieved in 2019. That's my main goal for the 2022 season. After that, 2023 is still open. We'll see if I can get back to my old form. I can always talk to the team later about the Tour de France, but I have a clear goal for this season and I am really happy."

Ackermann won 36 races in five seasons with Bora-Hansgrohe, the pinnacle of his team career coming in 2019 when he won two stages and the points jersey at the Giro d'Italia. By comparison, the following two seasons were frustrating: two wins at the 2020 Vuelta a España, but competing with Peter Sagan for a chance to compete in the big race, he found himself, by his own admission, in a comfort zone.

In 2021, Ackermann was not a winner early in the season, but he made good on his disappointment of missing the Tour and regained his former vigor last summer with six wins, not at the World Tour level, but at the Sibiu Tour, Settimana Italiana, and Deutschland Tour.

"We still had Peter on the team, so he wasn't allowed to run the Classics, and we had GC goals, so it was mainly a case of having too many good players in one place.

"Maybe I missed a few things, maybe I was a little lazy. I was on the team too long and my comfort zone was too good. That's why I wanted a new team. I wanted to improve and that's why I had to leave."

Although the UAE Team Emirates roster, with riders like Pogachar, Joao Almeida, Marc Hirsch, Fernando Gaviria, and Brandon McNulty, has attracted many talented riders, as has Beulah Hansgrohe, Ackermann is happy to take a leadership role in the 2022 program every time he puts on a number.

His campaign began with Challenge Mallorca, followed by Etoile de Besseges, Clasica Almeria, Volta ao Algarve, Opening Weekend, Tirreno Adriatico, and Ackermann will be in Belgium "for most of the classics." Return.

Therein lies a crucial difference from the Bora Hansgrohe era. In addition to targeting clearly sprint-oriented competitions like the Bruges des Pins, the German will also make his Paris-Roubaix debut.

"If you look at last year's classics, the group coming to the finish line was very different. So if you are there, you might be able to sprint. You might get a win or a good placing. You never know unless you try," Ackermann said. [My engine is growing a lot as a sprinter.

Ackermann knows that UAE Team Emirates has signed him up for a rotation of speed on the finishing straight, and his season's success or failure will be measured by the number of wins he accumulates by the end of the season.

With that in mind, he tweaked his training this winter under the guidance of new coach Jeroen Swart. The Kandel native comes to the World Tour from a track background, blessed with natural speed.

"In the last few years, my speed had dropped a bit because I needed to improve my engine for the mountains," he said.

"Now," Ackermann said, "it's more like training for sprinters, not for going over mountains to get faster.

The first challenge Ackermann will have to overcome in 2022 is building a sprint train. Unusually for an elite sprinter, Ackermann came to his new team without any of his previous leadouts. While the sprint simulations in training camp were encouraging, Ackermann knows that nothing can replicate the real thing. He says, "Mallorca has 10 riders, including almost every lead-out rider, including Gibbons, Oliveira, and Trentin.

The Vuelta is the only Grand Tour in Ackermann's program, largely because of the sprint opportunities early on. This year, the Vuelta may be the best option for the sprinters," Ackermann said. "This year, the Vuelta might be the best option for sprinters, because they already have two chances in Holland and another one in Spain. For me, last year was a really hard year.

Of course, for a sprinter, the enjoyment of cycling depends almost exclusively on winning. New team, same reality.

"As a sprinter, there are some races you can win without form.

"For a sprinter, winning races early in the season is really important.