In the 29th edition of the German one-day race, Team Visma | Lease a Bike showed its attacking intent. Talented youngsters Behrens and Van Belle were part of the early breakaway, which built up a lead of more than four minutes.

The breakaway riders controlled the race for a long time, but the pace set in the peloton eventually prevented them from fighting for the win. On the final ascent of the Waseberg, the team was active at the front, but a sprint was inevitable. Magnier proved the fastest.

“The plan was to race aggressively,” team director Grischa Niermann reflects. “We did everything we could. We knew we had to race because we didn’t have an outright favourite for the win at the start, and the guys did a good job of that. However, in cycling, you are always judged by the result, and unfortunately that was missing for us today.”

Van Belle, Behrens and Tim Rex were all active at various points, which Niermann sees as a positive development. “If you don’t have a big leader at the start, it’s up to the other riders to take their chance. They did that today, and it’s good to see them getting involved in the race.”