Just one day after we were able to present a new outfitter in Dethleffs, we went to Vilshofen for the start of the Bayern Tour. You can find out how this went for us in this blog.
Stage 1 from Vilshofen to Freilassing
The breakaway group of the day was already formed after 15 kilometers and the field controlled their lead. Our team concentrated fully on the final sprint. Unfortunately, it rained all day this Wednesday and temperatures of around 5 to 10 degrees caused major problems for the drivers, so that the drivers sometimes had to change their clothes completely during the race. On the final lap we were able to position Alexander Krieger very well, which enabled him to sprint to 7th place in the final, making him the best Continental driver in the field.
Stage 2 from Freilassing to Reit im Winkl/ Winklmoos-Alm
The second day was the domain of the general classification drivers. A difficult stage with many climbs and the mountain arrival on the Winklmoos-Alm. The day's breakaway was caught on the first long climb as the big pro teams got serious and the field later split into two groups. Our mountain flea Niko was able to stay in the front group, but had his problems with the cold and the constant rain. On the final climb he had to pay tribute to the weather and was therefore unable to use his actual performance. Unfortunately for us it was a day to tick off.
Stage 3 from Grassau to Neusäss
This longest section of the 2014 tour was no picnic at 5 degrees and rain. However, our team wanted to be at the front today and therefore did not let any group leave the country without one of our drivers. Tino was then able to hook onto Jens Voigt's bike and stay in the lead of the race until 8,5 kilometers from the finish. On the way to the finish he was able to win both sprint classifications and the weather got better and better. In the final, Team Orica-GreenEdge thwarted the sprinters as Simon Gerrans and Daryl Impey attacked on the final climb on the last lap. Although Alex was quite far behind in the final sprint, he was still able to finish 10th.
Stage 4 individual time trial in Wassertrüdingen
The individual time trial is only for specialists, which we unfortunately don't have in our ranks. In sunny conditions, our drivers therefore drove relaxed to gather strength for the last stage.
Stage 5 from Wassertrüdingen to Nuremberg
On the last stage, the weather gods showed their better side. It was the fastest stage with an average of 45,6. In the end there were still ten final laps to be covered in Nuremberg. In front of the wonderful scenery, the old town of Nuremberg was driven at a speed of 65 kilometers an hour. Today we wanted to make another good sprint possible for Tino, whose mother lives in Nuremberg. Tino was still in first place with 200 meters to go. Unfortunately, he started sprinting a bit too early and was therefore overtaken by several drivers. In the end he still ended up on a strong 11th place. Alexander in 16th and Niko in 19th place completed our strong team result, with which we secured the team ranking that day.
For our first year as a professional and our first big tour in 2014, the team has found itself. All supervisors and drivers did an excellent job and showed that Team Stuttgart deserves a place in the international cycling circuit. We would like to thank the organization of the Bayern Rundfahrt for a smooth and excellent tour.