Moreno Hofland and Maarten Tjallingii fought for the victory in the Rund um Köln for a long time in a leading group of 18 riders, but the Team LottoNL-Jumbo riders missed the decisive moment in the race. Tom Boonen (Etixx-Quick Step) won.     

“This race could have ended up in a bunch sprint and it looked like it would for a long time,” Sports Director Frans Maassen said after the race. “But a leading group of 18 men arose with Maarten and Moreno with them. That break was able to make it to the end, so we did everything to stay in front.”

Gamble
Part of that breakaway succeeded in staying clear of the clutches of the peloton. On the last climb of the day, five riders escaped from the others.

“I had to gamble for a moment on that climb,” Hofland explained. “I wanted to wait until the steepest part of the climb was over and jump to those five afterwards, but I just didn’t make it. When you’re in such a tough race, you have to gamble sometimes. It’s a pity that it didn’t turn into something because my legs felt great.”

Doubt
“We leave this race with some kind of mixed feelings,” Maassen said. “Moreno and Maarten rode a strong race. We only lost control on the last climb after a moment of doubt. That’s a shame."