German sprinter Pascal Ackermann has set his sights on the Vuelta a España at the start of the cycling season this fall, and will re-set his main goal as his Bora-Hansgrohe team looks to maximize its chances of victory by splitting the calendar with Peter Sagan.

Sagan will make his ninth Tour de France appearance, followed by his first Giro d'Italia in October, while Ackermann will build on his stage race debut in the Vuelta on October 20.

Speaking via videoconference from his training camp at Bora-Hansgrohe in Austria's Ötztal Alps, the 26-year-old Ackermann said he is satisfied with his post-COVID-19 season plan. Ackermann plans to start at the Sibiu Tour, which welcomes a WorldTour team for the first time, and then move on to top-level racing.

"I'm really happy with the race calendar. I'm a little surprised because I'm starting with the Sibiu Tour. It's a really small race, but it's a good opportunity to start the season."

"Then we go straight to the Tour de Pollogne, where we have done well in the past. My next big target is the Tirreno-Adriatico, then Ghent-Wevelgem, the Binkbank Tour, and then the Vuelta at the end of the year.

Ackermann enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2019, winning 13 races, including two stage wins and the points jersey at his debut Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia. Despite this, he still does not consider himself a top sprinter, according to what he told Cycling News at the season-ending Tour of the Guangxi.

His goal this year is to continue his winning ways on the World Tour, a goal that will be aided by the team setting different schedules for the two top sprinters.

"I really like racing in Italy and was really looking forward to the Giro d'Italia this year. But with the new race calendar, I couldn't go because there are not many sprint opportunities," Ackermann said.

"Also, together with Peter [Sagan], we have to take every chance to win this year. So we decided to go with one of us to the Giro and one of us to the Vuelta. So we had to change the race calendar a little bit. It's not as good as it used to be, but it's still good."

Like last year, Ackermann will share much of the schedule with leadouts Rüdiger Selig and Michael Schwarzmann. Last year, Selig shared 60 days and Schwarzmann 55 days.

With Sagan heading to the Giro, there was not enough room in the lineup for Selig, Schwarzmann, and Andreas Schillinger to accompany Ackermann, which also pushed him to Spain.

Ackermann added that he trained more than ever during the blockade of COVID-19. He started 2020 with wins at the Clásica de Almería and the UAE Tour, and is looking to start again in late July.

"I was really good at the beginning of the year and felt good," he said. But I'm a little surprised at how well I'm doing this time of year. Right now the Vuelta is my main goal, but I want to win as much as possible." [So we're going to Sibiu, Pollogne, and Tirreno-Adriatico. I think what I will do in most of the races is sprint, and I will try to win as much as possible. I've trained well the last few weeks and there's still plenty of time.

"I think I've trained as well as I can over the last few weeks. I'm really looking forward to getting back to racing."