Welcome to Germany for the National Championships! A hilly course will make Flügel the man to beat, especially with a strong team behind him, Vogt and Klemme head off the field of competitors. Puma climbers Arndt and Herklotz look like interesting dark horses, so too Reimer as they have the good acceleration on them that is essential for a course like this, though as we all know, in a national championship race, anything can happen.
A couple amateurs head up the road as the race begins, as Hirschlein and Mai are the main riders taking up pacemaking duties.
And actually that status quo is maintained until the final climb, mostly Kraftwerk and Wiesenhof sharing the work, with the occasional turn from Puma. 5km to go now, one last ascent to decide the race.
Flügel takes up the pacing with still 3km to go, seems too early but maybe he wants to suffocate everybody with an intense pace? Klemme, Mager, Buchmann and Keinath take up the prime positions behind him.
Klemme takes up the first position with 2km left, but the climb flattens out for sprinters at the top and Reimer is still in the first 10 wheels. Arndt and Schachmann are the ones finding position now as well as Mager and Buchmann fall back.
The pace forced by Klemme starts to let a little gap open up to the first 5 riders, where an alert Reimer sprints onto the back of Keinath's wheel and Arndt and Flügel start to move up next to the leader.
Behind, Herklotz realises this group is dangerous and desperately tries to get himself back as he attacks the others.
Flamme Rouge, the winner will be out of these 5 riders! Klemme leads Flügel, Arndt and Reimer sitting pretty as easily the best sprinter. Finally, Keinath is looking pretty sore on the back. Herklotz is definitely too far behind at this point, having left it too late.
Arndt and Reimer aren't up to the task though! The climb must've been too much for them, Flügel is coming up alongside Klemme, but the Novatek rider is still fighting for it and holding the lead!
1 more metre and the result would've been entirely different, but Klemme throws his arms up to celebrate becoming the new German Champion as Flügel smashes his bars! Arndt 3rd and Reimer 4th must feel like they missed a chance here, especially the latter as a great sprinter. Keinath 5th clearly blew up as well while Herklotz messed up his tactics, still finishing a while ahead of the first rider in the peloton, Thurau.
Fiedler has a pretty good claim to the win before we even start this TT today. Though Kittel, Sütterlin and Schädlich will dream of spoiling his party on a good day.
The first of these 4 contenders on course is Schädlich, who chases the leading time which is set by Politt when he starts.
Schädlich easily sets the fastest time on course, 1h06'26" puts him 1'44 ahead of the next best rider.
Sütterlin starts immedietly after and doesn't seem quite as fast, 42 seconds down on the end are his jersey hopes dashed.
Kittel fares a little better, losing 18 seconds over the first half of the course, then holding it to finish still 18 seconds behind, Schädlich still sitting pretty in the lead with just one rider left on course.
Of course, that rider is Fiedler and he's not having a bad day today, 1st at the first check, 1st and the second, 1st and the third and...1st at the last. Though not as dominant as might expect, with only a 13 second margin of victory over Schädlich, who had a really good day. Still, it's Jacob Fiedler who'll be the one wearing the German stripes!
