183 riders made it to the start in the outskirts of Cologne, or Köln to the local population. After 204.5 kilometer we will be back downtown for the finish. In between we travel over the local hills, which are not easy. Will we see a sprint in the end and who will be able to contest it?
Six riders form today's breakaway: Schönberger Rodriguez Kalf Budenieks McKenna Trakhov
They lead by three minutes with 180 kilometer to go.
A coalition of teams keeping the breakaway around 4 minutes. eBuddy, Evonik, Aker, Festina, Vesuvio, Indosat, Puma, Aegon and Podium Ambition all helping out with a rider. The peloton is still intact halfway through the race. Cavagna had a puncture but safely returned.
Novardianto, Anderberg and Ringheim increase the pace on the Oberkühlheim but no one got in trouble. Most sprinters are in the first fifty positions to avoid being caught behind a split. The gap to the breakaway is down to 1'45 with 65 kilometer to go.
Budenieks attacks from the breakaway with just over 40 kilometer to go. The peloton is closing in but 40k is a long solo to attempt. He wouldn't get far as his former mates caught up with him a bit later. Trakhov would try the same a few kilometer but to no avail as well.
Over the Domsberg, a split occurred with only 17 riders in front:
Coquard, Karatzios, Kastrantas, Kortsidakis Becis, Stoltz, Van Stayen Gjolberg, Swift Ariesen, Grosu Kristoff, Van Avermaet Ewan, Novardianto Arndt, Demare
Seven sprinters in the group, each with at least one teammate. Vesuvio, Aegon and Isostar leading the chase as their leaders missed it.
And with thirty kilometer to go the peloton got back together, and since we're out of hills everything is likely to stay together. The half dozen up front lead by only 1'10.
Well, when I say everything is back together I mean the peloton has about 100 riders. A few solo riders dropped (including Meyer) in the earlier hills but the final hill caused a larger group to drop, containing many leadouts but no major favorites. Clarke, Scully, Brus, Liepins, Van der Sande, Petit, Martinelli, Goss, Bonifazio, Soupe, Nelson, Keukeleire, Van Heerden and Favilli will play no further role this race.
20 kilometer to go and it is the end of the breakaway, who stood no chance this race. The peloton is down to 78 riders led by Smit, Oss, Ji, Andersen, Kastrantas and Stoltz. The second group with leadouts at 1'30.
Just as the likes of Evonik, Aker and Puma were building their sprint train, we have a late attack. Teunissen from the sprinterless Gazelle tries to fool the sprinters in the streets of Koln with fifteen kilometer to go.
He reaches the finish line, but we still have two laps to go. Kneisky sacrificed himself in the chase and managed to catch him with 12 kilometer to go. The sprint trains have to be reorganized in the twisty streets though.
Going back over the Rhine, it's Sulimov who attacks next. Five riders follow: Varga, Stoltz, Yzeiraj, Wisniowski and Viviani. This is a strong group which might have more success.
Wisniowski has the biggest engine and leads solo with ten kilometer to go. He did the same move last year and was only caught at three kilometer from the line. Will he get further this time? Smit joined the other attackers, but there is no real chase or sprint organization going on behind, Hsu and Sagiv leading the group. 25 seconds from Wisniowski to the peloton.
Lapped traffic makes things a bit more difficult to see but with seven kilometer Wisniowski has 18 seconds over the six chasers, who have 20 seconds over the peloton currently led by Marzuki, Reimer, Per and Arndt. Even if we are going to a bunch sprint, a lot of energy has already been wasted. The sprinters line up behind the chase riders but have no leadout around them at the moment.
Final lap for Wisniowski. The six chasers have been caught, the peloton now at 21 seconds. This might get very close.
2.5 and the gap is just about ten seconds. Ji and Arndt leading the peloton, then Kennaugh, Kristoff, Van Stayen, Grosu, Demare, Ewan and Swift lining up behind them. Coquard, Howard, Groenewegen, Van der Lijke, Kump, Guardini and Guerao a bit further down.
And Wisniowski's adventure ends 1500 meters too soon as Kennaugh passes him. It looks like the sprint has started but everyone is in one long line and it doesn't seem Kennaugh is willing to lead them out at the moment. We still have the corner over the bridge to go so maybe the riders are waiting for that.
Kennaugh is first off the bridge and onto the final stretch. Kristoff and Van Stayen behind him, Grosu making a move on the inside. Ewan, Coquard, Wisniowski and Groenewegen in the next positions.
500 meters, Kennaugh still leading but Kristoff is going faster. Grosu's move failed and is under threat from Ewan while Wisniowski holds on quite well.
250 and from the aerial it's Kristoff versus Kennaugh, the former having more speed but the latter still leading ever so slightly. The battle for place three looks to be between Grosu, Van Stayen and Ewan. Coquard, Groenewegen and Van der Lijke trying to find their way around them.
Alexander Kristoff wins Rund um Koln! He perfectly timed his sprint, as Kennaugh lost a lot of speed in the final meters and is in danger of losing second.
Close call but Dylan Groenewegen snatches away second place with Eduard Grosu completing the podium. Kennaugh fell away to sixth even behind Ewan and Coquard. Van Stayen, Demare, Van der Lijke and Howard complete the top ten.
Swift finishes eleventh. Twelfth place to Kump, thirteenth to Guardini. Samolenkov fourteenth, Guerao fifteenth.
Wisniowski finishes sixteenth after being close to victory again. Gaviria seventeenth, Stoltz, Kneisky and Kemboi completing the top twenty.
