Huge surprise on the 1st stage of the Tour of Thuringia in Germany. After the 118 kilometers of the first stage, it was a breakaway of 2 competitors who competed for victory. Margot Vanpachtenbeke (VolkerWessels) beat the American Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health) in the sprint. The peloton crossed the finish line more than 5 minutes and 34 seconds behind. With six stages on the program until Sunday, none of which present any major difficulties, the general classification may already have been decided.
Video – Last year, Lotte Kopecky won this race
A level crossing helped the escapees
This huge gap at the finish is mainly due to two things. First of all, the peloton was very slow to get going. The speed increased from the last 25 kilometers. But 15 kilometers from the finish, a twist of fate: a level crossing blocks the peloton and allows the breakaways to take off again even though the gap had fallen to 2 minutes and 30 seconds. In the sprint, the Belgian dominated Edwards to achieve his first success. Linda Riedmann (Visma| Lease a Bike) completes the podium for today’s stage.
