Maxim van Gils claimed his first World Tour win of his young career with Eschborn-Frankfurt. The Lotto-Dstny leader was surprisingly quicker in a sprint than the thin peloton. He beat Alex Aranburu (Movistar) and Riley Sheehan (Israel-PremierTech) to the finish.
That was also the recipe for this year's Eschborn-Frankfurt match. The course offered opportunities for both fast players and classic types, although in recent years the German WorldTour race has turned into a festival for sprinters.
On the slopes around Frankfurt, some thieves tried to make the race difficult. Emanuel Buchmann – who, to his great dismay, had been passed at the Giro – tried it briefly with Ben Healy, but was quickly caught out.
As the runners pulled away one by one, young Jean-Christin pulled away down the final lane of Mamulshine. The Swiss have created an interesting gap, but MWith more than 30 kilometers remaining, the top 19-year-old Emirati talent embarked on a risky mission.
Like the devil outside the box
Christine rode for all she was worth and held the peloton at ten seconds for a long time, but with two kilometers to go, it was over. The weakened peloton can prepare for a fast race through the streets of Frankfurt.
No team can put a real train on the track. Thibaut Ness looked to be in a good position, but was pushed wide in the final metres. In the Sprint, Alex Aranburu started strong, but like the devil out of the box, Maxim van Gils rushed past the Spaniard.
After his excellent spring – with a third place in the Strade and in the Flèche Wallonne and a fourth place in Liège – our compatriot has now also achieved his first WorldTour win. This is the fourth victory in his young career.
Van Giles: “Ending the spring with a win is a dream”
“It's my last competition this spring. It's absolutely a dream to be able to end a great spring with a win,” said a happy Van Giles.
“I didn't have a great feeling today, but the team worked hard to tire out the fast guys. I simply survived the final climb and in the final I stayed on the wheels to recover.”
In the chaotic race, Van Gils had to come from distance. “But the suit opened just in time. I was able to come back from behind quickly enough and finish it off.”
“What kind of racer am I? I really don't know. I climbed well in the Ardennes, and now I've won the sprint and I've also won the time trial this season. It's crazy.”
“I will now have some time to rest in the coming period, because I feel tired. After that, all focus will be on the big goal, the Tour de France.”
Eschborn-Frankfurt 2024 result
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