Former NBA superstar Dirk Nowitzki and professional cyclist Emanuel Buchmann have one thing in common; both have been dubbed by the media "The German Wunderkind." But while Nowitzki has just called time on his impressive career, Buchmann could be just days away from his first major sporting success.

After 15 stages of the Tour de France, Buchmann found himself in sixth place in the overall rankings, just over two minutes behind the yellow jersey. So the 26-year-old German looks to be in striking distance of reaching a place on the podium when the Tour ends on Sunday. Could he even make it to the top step on that podium? Buchmann is having none of it.

"Even as a child, I never even dreamed of yellow," Buchmann said.  "I'm the rational type, I live in reality.”

Third place on Pyrenees stage in 2015

The 1.81-meter (5'11”) professional cyclist, who weighs in at just 60 kilograms (132 pounds), gained a reputation as a "German wunderkind" in 2015, when he beat veteran riders like Andre Greipel and John Degenkolb to win the road race in the German championships. Wearing the black, red, and gold of the German flag he went on to compete in his first Tour de France – reaching the podium for the first time. Buchmann finished third on the stage through the Pyrenees that featured a climb over the much-feared 2,115 meter high Col du Tourmalet and five other mountain passes.

Steady progress

Still just 22 at the time – and the fourth youngest rider in the field, Buchmann finished the 2015 Tour in 32nd place overall. Since then he has made slow but steady progress, finishing 21st in the 2016 Tour and 15th one year later.  In 2018 he skipped the Tour, choosing instead to captain his Bora-hansgrohe team in the Vuelta, where he finished 12th.

Buchmann's progress becomes even more apparent when one considers his performances at the Criterium du Dauphin, dubbed the "mini Tour de France," which many of the stars use to prepare for the most prestigious race of the season. The German finished 32nd in 2015, 20th in 2016, seventh in 2017, sixth last year and third this year.  Buchmann has always been strong in the mountains, but he has also improved his performances in time trials. At this year's Dauphine he took third place in the fight against the clock, even beating out some of the Tour favorites.

"I've taken a step forward every year and I was able to complete my preparations without any problems, nothing got in the way. I've matured," Buchmann told DW in Brussels just before the start of this year's Tour. "It's completely realistic to think that I can finish in the top 10 in the overall standings. I'm really motivated to try to achieve this goal."

The Alps beckon

A fortnight into this edition of the Tour, Buchmann remains committed to this goal.

"If I do even better, of course I will be happy," he told the mass-circulation daily Bild.

In the energy-sapping Pyrenees, the German held his own, with fourth-place finishes on two stages. But this year's Tour de France will really be decided on the three stages in the Alps, beginning on Thursday. Having completed three high-altitude training camps in February, May and June, Buchmann has prepared himself particularly well for this Tour finale. By his own admission, if he's ever going to take a run at the yellow jersey, he will do so on one of these three stages. That's about as far as the rather reserved rider is about to go.

"It never hurts to ride a little under the radar," Buchman said. 

Emanuel Buchmann clearly prefers to let his performances on the course do the talking.