The riders of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert, under the direction of sport director Valerio Piva, played a major role in the classic Eschborn-Frankfurt (1.WT, 19/09) this Sunday. Five riders animated the first race half through the Taunus mountain range and behind, Georg Zimmermann started the battle in the peloton, showing again an offensive race style on his home soil.
His first attempt after the top of the Billtalhöhe (2.7 km at 5,9%) wasn’t succesful, however, Zimmermann joined a strong group during the third ascension of the Mammolsheim (2.3 km at 7.6%). Among the new sixteen race leaders there was not only the best young rider of the recent Tour of Germany, but also Lorenzo Rota who acquired a double top 5 in Tuscany earlier this week.
These sixteen leaders had to fight for their advantage, which only exceeded one minute for a short time. With all climbs behind the back, the sprinter’s teams reorganized during the final 40 kilometer towards Frankfurt. This was without taking into account the perseverance of Georg Zimmermann, who resisted to the peloton for 20 more kilometer with Scaroni.
Andrea Pasqualon prepared for the bunch sprint, but punctured 10 kilometer before the finish. After a bike change, the 33 year old managed to join the peloton and get back to his position in the front thanks to the help of his teammates. Zimmermann did a great positioning job during the final local lap for the Italian sprinter, who took 4th place behind winner Jasper Philipsen. In this way, Pasqualon repeated the result he achieved in this World Tour classic in 2018.
« Just like each season, I prepared this period with end of the season classics well with a big training volume and by working for my teammates. This week it was my turn to rely on the fantastic support of the team. Today I could relax in the peloton thanks to the presence of Lorenzo Rota and Georg Zimmermann in the front. I unfortunately punctured with 10 kilometer to go, but my teammates brought me to the front in time for the sprint. This 4th place reflects the efforts I made the previous months and I'm convinced that I'll be able to realize more nice performances in the next weeks! »
« I like to race aggressively, especially when I can show myself on home soil! This race traditionally ends in a bunch sprint, but I did what I could to make this edition an exception. After being caught by the peloton in the city centre of Frankfurt, I gave all I had left to keep Andrea Pasqualon in the front. His 4th place is an excellent result and I'm proud that I contributed to this strong collective succes! I'm very satisfied about my current form and I can't wait to line up at my second World Championships in de pro category with these legs! »
