Barta wins Rund um Köln

Jan Barta brought in another win for both himself and Team NetApp, winning Rund um Köln in a solo effort. The Czech rider soloed to the win 2:02 ahead of Gediminas Bagdonas (An Post-Sean Kelly) and Tomasz Marczynski of Vacansoleil.

It was the third win of the season for Barta, 27, who earlier was part of the winning team time trial squad and won the overall title in the Settimana Coppi e Bartali. The team had won the team time trial for its first win in two years at the Professional Continental level.

“I am very happy, that I finally got through with a break attempt,” Barta told Cyclingnews.  “And then to do it at such a difficult race, where the weather conditions brought everyone to the limit.”

“It was very difficult for me to win today,” he continued.  “When I attacked, I had good legs and simply took off.  I figured I had a small chance, since the rain was making it hard for all the riders.  I speculated that the chasers would not work together.  In the second lap, I was pretty near my limit, but it was clear to me that I could win the race.”

The first group got an early start on the cool, rainy Easter Monday. Only eight kilometeres into the 196.7km race, Mark Renshaw (Rabobank), Pavel Brutt (Katusha), Tom Dumoulin (Argos-Shimano), Boy van Poppel (UnitedHealthcare), Nils Plötner (Raiko Stölting) und Jasper Hamelink (Cycling Team Jo Piels) got away. They were eventually joined by Laurens ten Dam (Rabobank), David Tanner (Saxo Bank), Gatis Smukulis (Katusha), Christian Knees (German national team), Matthias Brändle (NetApp), Michael Hümbert (LKT Team Brandenburg), Johannes Kahra (Thüringer Energie Team), Ralf Matzka (Thüringer Energie Team) and Gediminas Bagdonas (An Post-Sean Kelly).

The group managed to stay away, but never had more than a two-minute lead. Eventually Brutt and Bagdonas took off, and the rest of the group was absorbed back into the field.

With 83km to go, nine more riders broke away and joined the two leaders: Wilco Keldermann (Rabobank), Tomasz Marczynski (Vacansoleil-DCM), Jan Barta (NetApp), Matthias Brändle (NetApp), William Clarke (Champion System), Tom Dumoulin (Argos-Shimano), Ivan Ronny (RusVelo), Boy van Poppel (UnitedHealthcare) and Mauritius Lammertink (Cycling Team Jo Piels).

That group was the right one, and quickly built up a lead of five and a half minutes. Barta jumped on the final ranked climb, and took off. The group behind him fell apart, and seven riders gave chase, with the field six minutes back but chasing furiously.

Barta took his lead into the three laps of the closing 6.6km circuit course in downtown Köln, and with more than a minute gap at the start of the last lap, he knew he had the win.

Full Results

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#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Jan Barta (Cze) Team Netapp5:05:58
2Gediminas Bagdonas (Ltu) An Post - Sean Kelly0:02:02
3Tomasz Marczynski (Pol) Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling TeamRow 2 - Cell 2
4Pavel Brutt (Rus) Katusha TeamRow 3 - Cell 2
5Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Argos-ShimanoRow 4 - Cell 2
6Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Rabobank Cycling TeamRow 5 - Cell 2
7Maurits Lammertink (Ned) Cyclingteam Jo PielsRow 6 - Cell 2
8William Clarke (Aus) Champion System Pro Cycling TeamRow 7 - Cell 2
9Matthias Brandle (Aut) Team Netapp0:06:29
10Ivan Rovny (Rus) Rusvelo0:06:31
11Boy Van Poppel (Ned) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling Team0:06:43
12Kersten Thiele (Ger) Lointek0:10:37
13Alexander Schmitt (Ger) Nutrixxion Abus0:12:32
14Michael Jun. Hümbert (Ger) Lointek0:12:44
15Yannick Bok (Ger) Raiko StöltingRow 14 - Cell 2
16Victor Manakov (Rus) Rusvelo0:13:23
17Robert Förster (Ger) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling TeamRow 16 - Cell 2
18Ralf Matzka (Ger) Thüringer Energie TeamRow 17 - Cell 2
19Steffen Radochla (Ger) Team NSP - GhostRow 18 - Cell 2
20Michael Kurth (Ger) Team Eddy Merckx - IndelandRow 19 - Cell 2
21Christoph Pfingsten (Ger) Cyclingteam De RijkeRow 20 - Cell 2
22Björn Schröder (Ger) Raiko StöltingRow 21 - Cell 2
23Andreas Stauff (Ger) Team Eddy Merckx - IndelandRow 22 - Cell 2
24Michael Schweizer (Ger) Nutrixxion AbusRow 23 - Cell 2
25Kevin Peeters (Bel) LandbouwkredietRow 24 - Cell 2
26Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank Cycling TeamRow 25 - Cell 2
27Mario Schoibl (Aut) Tirol Cycling TeamRow 26 - Cell 2
28Jonathan Breyne (Bel) LandbouwkredietRow 27 - Cell 2
29Yukihiro Doi (Jpn) Argos-ShimanoRow 28 - Cell 2
30Alexander Mironov (Rus) Rusvelo0:13:27
31Mario Vogt (Ger) Team Specialized Concept StoreRow 30 - Cell 2
32Sven Van Luijk (Ned) Cyclingteam Jo PielsRow 31 - Cell 2
33Sjors Roosen (Ned) Cyclingteam Jo Piels0:13:30
34Jay Robert Thomson (RSA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling TeamRow 33 - Cell 2
35Stefan Ganser (Ger) Team Eddy Merckx - IndelandRow 34 - Cell 2
36Christoph Sokoll (Aut) Tirol Cycling TeamRow 35 - Cell 2
37Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Argos-ShimanoRow 36 - Cell 2
38Ronan Mc Laughlin (Irl) An Post - Sean KellyRow 37 - Cell 2
39Theo Bos (Ned) Rabobank Cycling TeamRow 38 - Cell 2
40Christoph Springer (Ger) Team Specialized Concept StoreRow 39 - Cell 2
41Aaron Kemps (Aus) Champion System Pro Cycling TeamRow 40 - Cell 2
42Marius Jessenberger (Ger) Team HeizomatRow 41 - Cell 2
43Sascha Weber (Ger) Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.DeRow 42 - Cell 2
44Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quickstep0:13:34
45Alexey Tsatevitch (Rus) Katusha Team0:13:36
46Benjamin Dietrich (Ger) Thüringer Energie Team0:13:38
47Graeme Brown (Aus) Rabobank Cycling TeamRow 46 - Cell 2
48Jasper Hamelink (Ned) Cyclingteam Jo Piels0:13:40
49Robert Retschke (Ger) Team Eddy Merckx - IndelandRow 48 - Cell 2
50Tom Vermeer (Ned) Nutrixxion AbusRow 49 - Cell 2
51Luke Roberts (Aus) Team Saxo BankRow 50 - Cell 2
52Daniel Schorn (Aut) Team NetappRow 51 - Cell 2
53Fabian Bruno (Ger) Team HeizomatRow 52 - Cell 2
54Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling TeamRow 53 - Cell 2
55Jacek Morajko (Pol) Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling TeamRow 54 - Cell 2
56Fabio Nappa (Ger) Team Specialized Concept StoreRow 55 - Cell 2
57René Obst (Ger) Team NSP - GhostRow 56 - Cell 2
58Andreas Dietziker (Swi) Team NetappRow 57 - Cell 2
59Oleksandr Surutkovych (Aze) Team Specialized Concept StoreRow 58 - Cell 2
60Meran Russan (Eri) MTN QhubekaRow 59 - Cell 2
61Martin Wesemann (RSA) MTN QhubekaRow 60 - Cell 2
62Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Team Specialized Concept StoreRow 61 - Cell 2
63Jetse Bol (Ned) Rabobank Cycling TeamRow 62 - Cell 2
64Harald Totschnig (Aut) Tirol Cycling TeamRow 63 - Cell 2
65Jacob Fiedler (Ger) Team NSP - GhostRow 64 - Cell 2
66Robert Bengsch (Ger)Row 65 - Cell 2
67Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Rabobank Cycling TeamRow 66 - Cell 2
68Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Team Saxo BankRow 67 - Cell 2
69Sergej Fuchs (Ger) Team NSP - GhostRow 68 - Cell 2
70Juan José Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo BankRow 69 - Cell 2
71Artem Ovechkin (Rus) RusveloRow 70 - Cell 2
72Christopher Juul Jensen (Den) Team Saxo BankRow 71 - Cell 2
73Koen Barbe (Bel) LandbouwkredietRow 72 - Cell 2
74Christopher Jones (USA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling Team0:13:53
75Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank Cycling TeamRow 74 - Cell 2
76Martijn Keizer (Ned) Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling TeamRow 75 - Cell 2
77Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Katusha TeamRow 76 - Cell 2
78Matthias Friedemann (Ger) Champion System Pro Cycling TeamRow 77 - Cell 2
79Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Team NetappRow 78 - Cell 2
80Bradley Potgieter (RSA) MTN QhubekaRow 79 - Cell 2
81Bradley White (USA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling TeamRow 80 - Cell 2
82Takashi Miyazawa (Jpn) Team Saxo BankRow 81 - Cell 2
83Jonathan Clarke (Aus) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling TeamRow 82 - Cell 2
84Benjamin Sydlik (Ger) Nutrixxion AbusRow 83 - Cell 2
85Jasha Sütterlin (Ger) Thüringer Energie Team0:14:11
86Arran Brown (RSA) MTN QhubekaRow 85 - Cell 2
87Nils Plötner (Ger) Raiko StöltingRow 86 - Cell 2
88Matthias Bertling (Ger) Team Eddy Merckx - IndelandRow 87 - Cell 2
89Martin Weiss (Aut) Tirol Cycling TeamRow 88 - Cell 2
90Patrick Clausen (Den) Glud & Marstrand - Lro0:14:59
91Alexander Krieger (Ger) Team HeizomatRow 90 - Cell 2
92Christian Mager (Ger) Team HeizomatRow 91 - Cell 2

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