Cycling: going to bed early before the start of the Deutschland Tour? Not with the starters of the Hanover night. In one of the biggest post-tour criteria in front of the New Town Hall in Hanover, Geraint Thomas (Ineos) managed to win ahead of Nils Politt (Katusha - Alpecin) and André Greipel (Arkéa - Samsic).
German & international cycling stars
The Night of Hanover took place tonight after the team presentation for the Deutschland Tour. Many well-known drivers have registered for this and gave the spectators a little foretaste of the Deutschland Tour that starts tomorrow. Things really got down to business on the Friedrichswall in front of the New Town Hall in Hanover. At least the audience present couldn't see that grains were saved for tomorrow. The 850 meter long lap was not only completed by German professionals, but also by international stars. The Ineos team was represented directly with three candidates: Geraint Thomas, Michal Kwiatkowski and Luke Rowe.
The night of Hanover with a well-known list of winners
The German tour hero Emanuel Buchmann (Bora – hansgrohe) did not get on his bike himself. However, he has agreed to give the official starting signal. After that, the participants did their laps to win the prestigious criterion. André Greipel, who not only won last year but three times in total, was particularly motivated. Jan Ullrich, Erik Zabel and Andreas Klöden have also been successful here, as have international cycling greats such as Mario Cipollini and Joop Zoetemelk.
Thomas does not give Politt the victory
But this year André Greipel should only be able to finish third, which is absolutely remarkable considering the starting field. The only reason he wasn't able to sprint for victory was that a duo broke away nine laps before the end and Greipel's helper, Robert Wagner, was no longer in the chasing group. It was Geraint Thomas (Ineos) who went on the offensive. Nils Politt (Katusha – Alpecin) answered. In the final sprint, Politt was narrowly defeated by Thomas, who apparently did not come to Germany to distribute gifts. So maybe we can expect a lot from the Welshman on the Germany tour.