Elia Viviani (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) today became the first rider to win the German one-day race Cyclassics Hamburg on three occasions. The European champion took his tenth victory of the year on Sunday afternoon, when put in a perfect position by Danish Champion Michael Mørkøv on the Mönckebergstraße, he delivered a flawless sprint to see off the challenge of his rivals.

The 24th edition of the race took in several climbs, including four ascents of the iconic Waseberg. The race was animated by four riders, who enjoyed a ten-minute advantage over the peloton before being reeled in on the penultimate lap. Yves Lampaert then attacked together with other riders and opened a small gap, but the bunch duly responded and brought them back. The scenario was repeated with 14 kilometres remaining, only this time, the peloton was reduced to around 25 men, many of the sprinters getting dropped.

Deceuninck – Quick-Step had three riders in the leading group, and it was Florian Sénéchal who controlled the late attacks, making sure it would all come down to a sprint. Under the flamme rouge, Mørkøv took over the reins and piloted Viviani, who unleashed a blistering sprint and emphatically captured his third consecutive victory at the event, ahead of Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) and Giacomo Nizzolo (Dimension Data).

“After the last ascent of the Waseberg, we were only 20-25 guys at the front, and I asked Florian to control the attacks and make sure no one got clear,” explained Viviani. “Then I relied on a great Michael, who gave me another superb lead-out and as soon as he peeled off, I felt that I was going to win. It’s a pleasure to take the victory clad in this jersey and set a record in Hamburg, which is the cherry on the top at the end of the day. I won all three races I took part in after the Tour de France and I hope more strong results will follow before I call it a season.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here