On the hilly course in and around Stuttgart, Eva van Agt showed attacking spirit. The 27-year-old Dutchwoman attacked in the first of the total of three final laps and got several riders with her. However, the group did not get away, after which Nooijen, Gasparrini and Mareille Meijering broke away with the three of them in the final lap.

Nooijen took responsibility for the last one and a half kilometres and started her sprint from far away. For a moment she seemed to be able to hold on until the line, but Gasparrini was just too fast. "I did what I could", Nooijen said afterwards. "The others didn't want to pull anymore, so I knew I had to start early and not get surprised. It was a long sprint and I just couldn't hold on. Still, I'm happy with the result because I gave it my all."

According to Nooijen, the whole team rode a strong race. "As a team we rode agressively. We got over all the climbs well and were right there when other riders attacked. Mijntje did a super job in the last lap by closing the gap with the leader. On the last climb we went full speed and then the three of us got away. From there it was only two kilometres to the finish."

Nooijen then decided to continue. "I had to gamble a bit. On the one hand I didn't want to start the sprint from the front, but on the other hand I also didn't want the peloton to come back, because then the chances of riding for the win were less. So I just kept on riding and that eventually resulted in a second place."