Marc Hirschi wins GP Kanton Aargau

Benelux Tour 2021 17th Edition 5th stage Riemst Bilzen 192 km 03092021 Marc Hirschi SUI UAE Team Emirates photo Dion KerckhoffsCVBettiniPhoto2021

Marc Hirschi (Image credit: Dion KerckhoffsCVBettiniPhoto2021)

Home favourite Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) won the Grosser Preis des Kantons Aargau in a reduced bunch sprint of seven riders in Leuggern, Switzerland.

German champion Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) was second and Andreas Kron (Lotto Soudal) placed third, taking the final podium spot from a pair of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert riders, Lorenzo Rota and Georg Zimmerman. Clément Champoussin (AG2R Citroën Team), who went on a solo break on the bell lap with 20km remaining, finished sixth.

The Swiss 1.1-ranked race featured 11 total laps around Leuggern for 173.8km, opening with four short loops and then seven long circuits of 20.2km, each of those taking on the Rotberg ascent.

Simon Pellaud was at the front of the race with Thomas De Gendt, with an advantage of almost five minutes with 95km to go. With just under 49km to go the field had reeled both riders back for the penultimate long lap.

Champoussin had quickly gained 20 seconds in front of a reduced peloton of about 30 riders for the seventh and final ascent of the Rotberg (7.1km in length at 3.7%). Across the top of the climb, Champoussin held his advantage as the pack of chasers continued to dwindle in numbers, but was caught with 5km to go.

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Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).