The fact that the top racing team, Bora-hansgrohe, would make the German championship title among themselves, actually seemed a clear matter. But in the sprint, Marcel Meisen suddenly strikes - a proven cyclo-cross cyclist.
Hohenstein-Ernstthal (dpa) - Pascal Ackermann was obviously served. "That hurts. The disappointment is relatively great that I could not complete the teamwork," said the sprint star after a cross-country rider stole the show from him at the German road cycling championships.
Marcel Meisen took the title completely surprisingly at the Sachsenring on Sunday and put the highly-favored Bora-hansgrohe team down six days before the Tour de France start.
Ackermann, the 2018 champion, had to be content with second place in the sprint after 168 kilometers. Third was Alexander Krieger, a team colleague of Meisen at the Alpecin-Fenix racing team. "Stay cool and trust in your own strengths. I knew that the rain suited me. The ascent before the finish also suited me. I immediately noticed that I had a good punch. I have the Corona time quite well used ", said surprise winner Meisen.
Tits who? The 31-year-old from Stolberg is actually at home in cyclo-cross sports, where he has already won the German championship five times - most recently at the beginning of the year. "I know the feeling of the Cross, but it's a different house number on the street," said Meisen. Nobody there had him on the bill. He is now taking over from Maximilian Schachmann. The native of Berlin was absent from the DM due to a broken collarbone.
It was actually a foregone conclusion that Bora-hansgrohe won the title. The team seemed to be considering. And also in the race the jerseys of the Raublinger racing team could be seen again and again in front. After no driver could escape the field, it ultimately boiled down to a sprint. Who should beat the Giro stage winner Ackermann?
For Bora it is a bankruptcy before the tour, where they want to get Emanuel Buchmann on the podium. Buchmann decided not to participate. The native of Ravensburg, who fell last week, instead continued his preparation for the tour. Other top drivers such as Tony Martin, John Degenkolb and Nils Politt also did without the trip to Saxony. Originally, the DM was supposed to be held in Stuttgart in June. After the cancellation due to the corona pandemic, the Sachsenring stepped in as the host, as in the previous year.
The championships took place under strict Corona rules. No more than 1000 spectators were allowed, the drivers had to wear a face mask outside of the race.
For women, ex-world champion Lisa Brennauer had successfully defended her title from the previous year. The 32-year-old won after 96 kilometers ahead of Charlotte Becker and Tanja Erath. For the woman from the Allgäu it was the third championship title in the road race.
"That was anything but easy. My teammates have worked a lot for me. I'm glad we made it," said Brennauer, who will be starting the individual time trial at the European Championships in Plouay this Monday. "It's a tight plan, but I've looked at the track. I know what's in store for me," emphasized the 2014 time trial world champion.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 200823-99-273842 / 6
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