We made it to Köln after all! Welcome to the Rund um Koln, 200 kilometers of racing today around some undulating German landscape, with a slightly uphill finish. Will the pure sprinters survive, will the punchy sprinters thrive or the puncheurs surprise?
Bookmakers are a bit confused as to who they call favorite. At three starts they have pure puncheur ( Hagen), a punchy sprinter but not the strongest ( Houle) and an all-rounder ( Wisniowski).
There are some early attempts of a breakaway, but the teams of Iberia, Puma and RBC don't allow anything to pass no matter the composition. The speedy start causes Bouhanni, one of the flatter sprinters, to drop immediately.
Eventually one rider would be allowed to go: Walsleben. The German leads by more than a minute at the moment. The peloton decided to slow down, allowing Bouhanni to catch up again.
It would become a solo attempt. As soon as he was gone, no other rider even tried to attack. At 100 kilometers he has a maximum margin of 5'30.
The first hilly zone is behind us and all riders are still in the peloton (except Walsleben of course). Teams putting a rider at the front are: Team Puma - SAP, Iberia - Team Degenkolb, RBC Pro Cycling, EA Vesuvio and Air France - KLM.
Fourty kilometer to go and all the hills, except the arrival are behind us. Walsleben's lead is reduced to 2'40. Isostar - Slovenija and cycleYorkshire join in on the chase.
Hey, another attack! Bar goes in the German forests, weird move since he's a decent sprinter with a decent punch. Yet the team also has Coquard and Koretzky.
The teams behind are not happy with this move. Iberia and Puma chase viciously after the Frenchman and catch him at 30 kilometer from the line. Ten seconds later and Bar goes again. He doesn't like to give up, does he?
He would be caught again within a kilometer, but then attacks for the third time. Then Bar is caught for the third and hopefully final time as we enter the streets of Köln. Walsleben is now also close to being caught, only 45 seconds remaining.
Another attack, this time Andersen and not Bar. He also wouldn't get much room by the peloton. Six riders could no longer follow the pace, of which Edet is the biggest name.
Andersen's attempt would be a warm-up for Wisniowski, who has a lot more chance to succeed than his two predecessors. Iberia and Puma once again the teams which have to do the chasing. Seventeen kilometer to go, Walsleben still surviving at the front.
Wisniowski catches and drops Walsleben, who has no energy to follow. 13 kilometer to go, the Pole has a gap of 35 seconds.
Walsleben would be caught by the peloton, currently led by EA Vesuvio and Team Tinkoff. Wisniowski still with a small lead. Not five but eleven kilometer to go, as one lap is still remaining.
The weather was good today, but now we hit a small shower. Wisniowski still leading with seven kilometer to go, though the margin is getting smaller and smaller.
A group of riders dropping off at the back, and will definitely not participate in the sprint today: Cavendish, Kennaugh, Reimer and Bilbao.
Wisniowski fought for dear life but his adventure ends at 3.5 kilometer to go. Tinkoff leads the peloton, is Porsev feeling good today that he makes his team work?
The Russians quickly disappear, and the Iberia train takes charge: Brockhoff - Merino Criado - Degenkolb. The other contenders literally line up behind them: Van der Lijke, Mohs, Hagen, Demare, Kreder, Goss, Kristoff, Houle, Theuns, Coquard.
Meiji attempting to form a rival train with Cheung, Kuroeda and Zhao, without a real sprinter behind them.
Kump and Swift are slightly behind but making their way forward. Other sprinters/puncheurs are out of contention. No sign of a Tinkoff sprinter despite all the hard work bringing Wisniowski back.
Here we go, the uphill sprint. The train is pretty much as is except Brockhoff is done, leaving Merino Criado to lead out Degenkolb. Meiji's train got nowhere close to the front. Kump and Swift joining on the back of Coquard, with Wisniowski trying to hold on.
Merino Criado releasing Degenkolb with 700 meters to go, Van der Lijke on his wheel. The back of the queue had already started their sprints before, with Theuns and Kristoff emerging as early leaders. Kreder and Houle are blocked in behind them, then Kump and Goss side-by-side and finally Coquard and Swift, struggling to get speed on the ascent.
Merino Criado continues to lead at 400 meters, Degenkolb and Van der Lijke don't have the speed to get past. Theuns still leading the sprint at the back, making rapid inroads. Mohs positioning himself behind Van der Lijke, with Hagen and Demare waiting for their moment.
By orders, Merino Criado slows down and allows Degenkolb to pass. Van der Lijke under threat by Mohs, Demare coming strong on the left side of the road. Kump all the way against the barriers trying to pass Theuns. Houle switching to the inside, Hagen also coming through the middle.
150 meters. Degenkolb with only a slim lead over Van der Lijke. Demare has the highest speed but running out of time to pass them. Kump got pushed into the barriers, killing his momentum. Kreder avoiding the incident and now battling with Mohs, Hagen and Houle for fourth.
John Degenkolb wins in Koln! A tough uphill sprint but he survives. Nick van der Lijke came close but has to settle for seconds place. Arnaud Demare takes the final spot on the podium, but could've won if the race was 100 meters longer.
Mohs with a strong performance to finish fourth ahead of Houle. Hagen the puncheur finishing sixth in a bunch sprint. Kreder, Theuns, Goss and Swift complete the top ten. Kump and Coquard with disappointing results, eleventh and twelfth. Kristoff finishing last of the front-runners in thirteenth.
Merino Criado with a wonderful lead-out, taking fourteenth himself ahead of Kuroeda and Itami, who could've had a train except he didn't board. Franczak seventeenth for Netia, where Vantomme was nowhere in the final kilometers. Silvestre, Bernas and Speirs complete the top twenty.
Other sprinters who might have had a chance finishing further behind, surely some disappointments there though they might have underestimated the uphill finish.
