The 19th edition of the Münsterland Giro was one for the sprinters. With many world-class fast men lining up in Stromberg, the sprint teams kept the three early escapees within reach throughout the afternoon. The breakaway was caught with 45 kilometres to go, partly thanks to the efforts of Mikal Grimstad Uglehus and Jed Smithson – two riders from the Development Team who were given the chance to show themselves in Germany.

As the peloton approached Münster, attacks came thick and fast. Despite a small crash in the finale, a bunch sprint proved inevitable. Niklas Behrens did an excellent job heading into the finale, but Christophe Laporte and Kooij - the 2022 winner of the German one-day race - lost each other in the final kilometres. The Dutch sprinter was too far behind to contest the victory and crossed the line in sixteenth place, well behind winner Philipsen.

“This is obviously not what we came for here”, sports director Maarten Wynants admits afterwards. “With so many sprinters, it was a fight for position. In the finale we lost each other at the front. When you're not well positioned at such high speeds, you know it’s over.”

However, Wynants was pleased with his team’s work throughout the day. “Mikal played an important role for us today. Together with the other sprint teams, we kept things under control. Niklas was also extremely strong going into the local lap. At that point we were perfectly placed, just as we had planned. Unfortunately, that good work is not reflected in the result today. Luckily, new opportunities are coming up soon for Olav”, Wynants concludes.