Berlin (AFP) – Home hope Maximilian Schachmann won the second stage of the Tour of Germany on Friday after beating Slovenia’s Matej Mohoric in a photo finish.
Berlin-born Schachmann, who rides for Quick-Step, takes the overall leader’s red jersey from his Colombian teammate Alvaro Jose Hodeg, who won the first stage on Thursday.
The 24-year-old Schachmann, an ex-world junior time trial silver medallist, timed his final sprint perfectly to pip Mohoric on the line after the 196km ride from Bonn to Trier.
This year’s Tour de France runner-up, Tom Dumoulin of the Netherlands, finished third.
As he did on the opening day, Wales’ Geraint Thomas, this year’s Tour de France winner, again finished in the peloton.
The race burst into life with 50kms to go as Dumoulin and Frenchman Romain Bardet put the lead group under pressure.
Dumoulin and Schachmann powered to the front when the pair broke away from the lead group with six kilometres to go and opened a ten-second lead just after the final climb in the centre of Trier.
“It was incredibly fast going up the hill, then I followed my instincts,” said Schachmann told broadcaster WDR.
“My team put me in the perfect position and I am delighted to have completed the job.”
Schachmann said the goal is now to hold the jersey until the final stage in Stuttgart on Sunday with the Tour of Germany having returned this year after a 10-year hiatus.
German champion Pascal Ackermann, who narrowly lost to Hodeg when the first leg finished in Bonn on Thursday, fell off the pace in the final push up the last hill.
“The last climb was unfortunately too steep and too long — too bad,” he said.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.