Kristoff wins Eschborn-Frankfurt
By Cycling News
Katusha rider wins for the third time
Alexander Kristoff powered to his third career Eschborn-Frankfurt victory Monday, led out so well in the finishing sprint that his Katusha-Alpecin teammate Rick Zabel claimed a convincing second. Trek-Segafredo's John Degenkolb rounded out the podium in third.
It was left to a much-reduced peloton to contest the finale on a cold, wet day in Germany. A number of aggressors tried to deny the surviving sprinters their shot at the win with attempted escapes in the last 30 kilometres, but none managed to stay clear, setting up a sprint on rain-slicked urban roads.
Katusha led the race into the last few hundred metres and Zabel and defending champion Kristoff even managed to put a gap of several bike lengths into those behind as they wound up to speed. Kristoff pulled in front as the line approached to take a commanding WorldTour win.
"I was a little bit dropped on the last climb but I had a strong team around me to pull me back," Kristoff said. "Without them I would have had no chance. We came back just before the laps and Rick was guiding me through the corners at the end and he did a perfect lead out for me and ended up second himself. Luckily he was my teammate in those last few k's because otherwise I think he would have won the race!
"Earlier Tony Martin and Angel Vicioso and also team Bora Hansgrohe were working with us. Then at the end Nils Politt and Zabel took over. It was a big team effort to get back on the front that enabled me to sprint for the victory. We are really happy and it was a great performance," said Kristoff.
An eight-man break formed over the lumpy early goings of the day as the race took on a succession of climbs on the outskirts of Frankfurt. Peter Koning (Aqua Blue Sport), Antoine Warnier (WB Veranclassic Aqua Project), Carl Soballa (Germany), Jens Wallays (Sport-Vlaanderen Baloise), Twan Castelijns (LottoNL-Jumbo), Brian van Goethem (Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij), Dries De Bondt (Vérandas Willems-Crelan) and Nikolay Trusov (Gazprom-Rusvelo) comprised the move, whose advantage topped out at around five and a half minutes before the pack began shortening the leash.
Nasty weather saw the likes of Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe), André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) and Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) all pull out of the race before the racing really heated up.
The early break was caught with some 45 kilometres left to go. The regrouping spurred multiple attempts to form a new, stable escape, but none succeeded in opening a significant gap for more than a few minutes.
A strong selection of just under 20 riders – including Degenkolb – led the race into the final 30 kilometres but a peloton live to danger was sure not to give them too much breathing room. They were rejoined by the chasing pack 15 kilometres later.
Van Goethem and Pim Ligthart (Roompot-Nederlandse lotterij) made a last-ditch attempt to escape in the finale but were brought to heel to set up a sprint, where Katusha-Alpecin delivered Kristoff to perfection and a dominant victory.
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha-Alpecin | 5:29:32 |
2 | Rick Zabel (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin | |
3 | John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo | |
4 | Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing Team | |
5 | Pim Ligthart (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
6 | Juan Jose Lobato (Spa) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
7 | Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo | |
8 | Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Quick-Step Floors | |
9 | Michel Kreder (Ned) Aqua Blue Sport | |
10 | Ben Swift (GBr) UAE Team Emirates | |
11 | Tom Bohli (Swi) BMC Racing Team | |
12 | Alex Kirsch (Lux) WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | |
13 | Francisco Ventoso (Spa) BMC Racing Team | |
14 | Rudy Barbier (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
15 | Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb | |
16 | Maciej Paterski (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
17 | Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Cannondale-Drapac | 0:00:06 |
18 | Oscar Riesebeek (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
19 | Gaetan Bille (Bel) Veranda's Willems Crelan | |
20 | Nikolas Maes (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
21 | Evgeny Shalunov (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
22 | Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
23 | Rúben Guerreiro (Por) Trek-Segafredo | |
24 | Silvan Dillier (Swi) BMC Racing Team | |
25 | Brian Van Goethem (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
26 | Patrick Bevin (NZl) Cannondale-Drapac | 0:00:15 |
27 | Bram Tankink (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
28 | Aime De Gendt (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise | 0:00:16 |
29 | Jos Van Emden (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
30 | Adam James Hansen (Aus) Lotto Soudal | 0:00:19 |
31 | Nico Denz (Ger) AG2R La Mondiale | 0:00:23 |
32 | Pascal Ackermann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
33 | Jan Tratnik (Slo) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | 0:00:27 |
34 | Floris De Tier (Bel) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | 0:00:35 |
35 | Pieter Serry (Bel) Quick-Step Floors | |
36 | Simone Petilli (Ita) UAE Team Emirates | |
37 | Dries Van Gestel (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
38 | Lukasz Owsian (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
39 | Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe | 0:00:40 |
40 | Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise | 0:00:43 |
41 | Thomas Scully (NZl) Cannondale-Drapac | 0:00:57 |
42 | Nils Politt (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin | 0:01:05 |
43 | Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo | 0:01:19 |
44 | Paul Martens (Ger) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | 0:01:25 |
45 | Petr Vakoc (Cze) Quick-Step Floors | 0:01:36 |
46 | Julien Bernard (Fra) Trek-Segafredo | 0:01:48 |
47 | Tony Martin (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin | 0:01:50 |
48 | Simone Ponzi (Ita) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
49 | Ángel Vicioso (Spa) Katusha-Alpecin | 0:02:38 |
50 | Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team Sunweb | |
51 | Aaron Gate (NZl) Aqua Blue Sport | 0:03:55 |
52 | Julien Vermote (Bel) Quick-Step Floors | |
53 | Frederik Backaert (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
54 | Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Aqua Blue Sport | |
55 | Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Sunweb | |
56 | Peter Koning (Ned) Aqua Blue Sport | |
57 | Frederik Frison (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
58 | Michal Paluta (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
59 | Koen De Kort (Ned) Trek-Segafredo | |
60 | Martin Elmiger (Swi) BMC Racing Team | |
61 | Thomas Sprengers (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
62 | Olivier Pardini (Bel) WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | |
63 | Andrei Solomennikov (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
64 | Branislau Samoilau (Blr) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
65 | Raymond Kreder (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
66 | Edward Ravasi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates | |
67 | Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise | 0:04:05 |
DNF | Maxim Belkov (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin | |
DNF | Marco Mathis (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin | |
DNF | Simon Spilak (Slo) Katusha-Alpecin | |
DNF | Marcel Kittel (Ger) Quick-Step Floors | |
DNF | Fernando Gaviria (Col) Quick-Step Floors | |
DNF | Yves Lampaert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors | |
DNF | Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Quick-Step Floors | |
DNF | Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
DNF | Erik Baska (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
DNF | Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
DNF | Marcus Burghardt (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
DNF | Gregor Mühlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
DNF | Marco Coledan (Ita) Trek-Segafredo | |
DNF | Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo | |
DNF | André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal | |
DNF | Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
DNF | Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Soudal | |
DNF | Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
DNF | Enzo Wouters (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
DNF | Roy Curvers (Ned) Team Sunweb | |
DNF | Bert De Backer (Bel) Team Sunweb | |
DNF | Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Team Sunweb | |
DNF | Mike Teunissen (Ned) Team Sunweb | |
DNF | Zico Waeytens (Bel) Team Sunweb | |
DNF | Oliver Naesen (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale | |
DNF | Gediminas Bagdonas (Ltu) AG2R La Mondiale | |
DNF | Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
DNF | Julien Duval (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
DNF | Sondre Holst Enger (Nor) AG2R La Mondiale | |
DNF | Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale | |
DNF | Valerio Conti (Ita) UAE Team Emirates | |
DNF | Filippo Ganna (Ita) UAE Team Emirates | |
DNF | Marko Kump (Slo) UAE Team Emirates | |
DNF | Yousif Mirza Alhammadi (UAE) UAE Team Emirates | |
DNF | Federico Zurlo (Ita) UAE Team Emirates | |
DNF | Benjamin Declercq (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
DNF | Ruben Pols (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
DNF | Jens Wallays (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
DNF | Manuel Senni (Ita) BMC Racing Team | |
DNF | Loïc Vliegen (Bel) BMC Racing Team | |
DNF | Raffael Freienstein (Ger) German National Team | |
DNF | Christopher Hatz (Ger) German National Team | |
DNF | Nikodemus Holler (Ger) German National Team | |
DNF | Georg Loef (Ger) German National Team | |
DNF | Christian Mager (Ger) German National Team | |
DNF | Jonas Rapp (Ger) German National Team | |
DNF | Carl Soballa (Ger) German National Team | |
DNF | Georg Zimmermann (Ger) German National Team | |
DNF | Dylan Van Baarle (Ned) Cannondale-Drapac | |
DNF | Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac | |
DNF | Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Cannondale-Drapac | |
DNF | Ryan Mullen (Irl) Cannondale-Drapac | |
DNF | Kenny Dehaes (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
DNF | Simone Antonini (Ita) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
DNF | Jérôme Baugnies (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
DNF | Tom Devriendt (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
DNF | Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
DNF | Kevin Van Melsen (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
DNF | Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
DNF | Robert Wagner (Ger) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
DNF | Twan Castelijns (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
DNF | Daan Olivier (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
DNF | Kevyn Ista (Bel) WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | |
DNF | Sébastien Delfosse (Bel) WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | |
DNF | Thomas Deruette (Bel) WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | |
DNF | Gregory Habeaux (Bel) WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | |
DNF | Christophe Masson (Fra) WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | |
DNF | Antoine Warnier (Bel) WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect | |
DNF | Leigh Howard (Aus) Aqua Blue Sport | |
DNF | Stefan Denifl (Aut) Aqua Blue Sport | |
DNF | Martyn Irvine (Irl) Aqua Blue Sport | |
DNF | Calvin Watson (Aus) Aqua Blue Sport | |
DNF | Tim Ariesen (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
DNF | Martijn Budding (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
DNF | Berden De Vries (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
DNF | Jens Mouris (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
DNF | Stijn Devolder (Bel) Veranda's Willems Crelan | |
DNF | Sander Cordeel (Bel) Veranda's Willems Crelan | |
DNF | Dries De Bondt (Bel) Veranda's Willems Crelan | |
DNF | Huub Duijn (Ned) Veranda's Willems Crelan | |
DNF | Timothy Dupont (Bel) Veranda's Willems Crelan | |
DNF | Michael Goolaerts (Bel) Veranda's Willems Crelan | |
DNF | Otto Vergaerde (Bel) Veranda's Willems Crelan | |
DNF | Sergey Lagutin (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
DNF | Artur Ershov (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
DNF | Artem Nych (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
DNF | Ivan Savitskiy (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
DNF | Aleksei Tcatevich (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
DNF | Nikolay Trusov (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
DNF | Adrian Kurek (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
DNF | Leszek Plucinski (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice |
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