"I'm going for the three-peat!" said the Swiss rider, who also won in 2010 and 2011.
The 36-year-old, who won a bronze medal in the 2000 Olympic Games, is in good form already this season. Together with South Africa's Burry Stander, Sauser won this year's Cape Epic in April.
Sauser has plenty of racing to do between now and the Trans Germany. "I'm currently facing the last two World Cups counting as Olympic qualifiers and thus some very important weeks. I definitely am focusing on those two races right now."
In previous years, Sauser stepped into the lead in the very first stage. When asked if he'd take the same approach this year, he said, "It could be as the first stage is normally the hardest one. It's easier to defend a lead than to try to catch up - especially since it won't be technically very demanding."
Sauser has not checked out the course's route. "I will take it stage by stage. During the race, I will stick the altitude profile to my handlebar. It's important to know, where I am over the course of the stage and what I still have to expect."
"It's perfect to have a new stage town (Seefeld). It's always nice to have a mix of new towns and old ones. It's good to have stage finishes in the middle of town."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Stage races are important to Sauser, who as marathon world champion, excels at long distance racing, and he'd like to add another Trans Germany win to his palmares.
"Stage races are more important than single day races. The Trans Germany is a very well organized race which gets recognized in many different countries."
