Cycling: The second race of the GCA league is behind us. Lucas Carstensen won again in the men's category. Tanja Erath won the exciting women's race.
Carstensen celebrates another victory
Lucas Carstensen (Bike Aid) won the second race of the GCA League as well. This time, the professional cyclists completed five laps – at least virtually – through the city center of Innsbruck. Once again, the men's race came down to a mass sprint after just under an hour. Despite several attacks in the final kilometers, no one could break away from the leading group, which had formed shortly after the start when the peloton split in two. The race only became truly exciting in the final kilometer when Patrick Haller (Leopard) launched a surprising attack. However, the sprinters remained alert. Johannes Herrmann (RUW) led the final sprint, but in the last few meters, Lucas Carstensen (Bike Aid) ultimately managed to overtake him and secure another victory.
Erath wins thrilling women's race
Five minutes after the men, the women set off. Unlike the opening race , they didn't all start at once. This proved to be a good decision, as it allowed spectators to watch two races simultaneously. And it paid off, because the women's race was significantly more exciting than the men's. A selection process began very early on. Tanja Erath (Canyon/SRAM), Romy Kasper (RNR), Kerstin Pöhl (TBSW), and Selma Trommer (4EST) broke away on the first climb. It wasn't until after 20 kilometers that the chasing group surprisingly managed to catch up. The aforementioned riders tried again later, but once more they couldn't establish a decisive lead. However, they proved their strength once again in the final sprint. After just over an hour of hard-fought racing, Tanja Erath won ahead of Romy Kasper and Kerstin Pöhl.
HERE you can soon watch the races on the YouTube channel e-Cycling TV Germany in Relive.