Cycling: This year's edition of the Bayern Rundfahrt started in Regensburg today. After the 221km to Waldsassen, the 24-year-old Irishman Sam Bennett from the German ProContinental team Bora-Argon 18 was victorious. He relegated Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) and John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) to places in the final mass sprint.
In the shadow of the almost overwhelming Giro, the 36th Bayern Rundfahrt started today in changeable conditions. After the 131 pros mostly stalked each other over the 221km, there was a hard fight in the first sprint classification of the tour in Burglengenfeld - finally Jonas Koch from rad-net ROSE secured the full number of points. The last kilometers were perfect for the sprinters in the field and their teams. With a slightly rising profile, there was enough space for the teams to organize the appropriate sprint moves. The big favorites of the day were of course the in-form Paris-Roubaix winner John Degenkolb and the French sprint ace Nacer Bouhanni. Degenkolb already figured out good chances in advance: “The stages suit me very well. I hope that there will be a final sprint on the first day.”
His wish came true and, not surprisingly, there was a mass sprint. Many had also expected that those two would be among the frontrunners in the final mass sprint, but the two favorites ultimately lost out: Irishman Sam Bennett from the German team Bora-Argon 18 passed at the last moment and celebrated after winning the stage in the his second success at the Bayern Rundfahrt last year. It is his second win of the season after celebrating once in the Tour of Qatar.
Final result of the 1st stage of the Bayern Tour 2015
[easy table th=“0″]
1.,Sam Bennett,IRL,Bora-Argon 18,tba
2th,Nacer Bouhanni,FRA,Cofidis,
3.,John Degenkolb,GER,Giant Alpecin,
[/easy table]