Lidl Deutschland Tour

Following Wednesday’s prologue, which established an initial pecking order, the Deutschland Tour continued with the longest stage of this edition, 202 kilometers from Essen to Herford, the town in the North Rhine-Westphalia region which used to be a member of the Hanseatic League in the Middle Ages.

A small breakaway of four riders went clear soon after the start and built a nice lead of three minutes, but from the moment the sprinters’ teams hit the front of the peloton, that margin began coming down. Soudal Quick-Step was one of squads helping with the pace-settings, helping the group reel in the quartet before the last ten kilometers. The winner emerged from a sprint after a tight finish, Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) being the one who prevailed, while Luke Lamperti finished as the best placed rider of our team.

The second stage of the race will be one for the Classics specialists. The parcours, shorter than the one of Thursday, will be punctuated by four classified climbs and some more small hills that are sure to be used as launchpads by those hoping to gain time on their general classification rivals.

Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images