As expected, the Münsterland Giro ended in a bunch sprint. Visma | Lease a Bike relied on both Jakobsen and young talent Matthew Brennan as their fast options. The team largely controlled the race and, according to sports director Robert Wagner, stuck to the plan they had set out beforehand: “If Fabio is feeling good, we’ll ride for him”.
For Jakobsen, the race was primarily a chance to gauge his form. The former stage winner at the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España managed to hold his own in a promising position during the final stretch, but lost a few places in the frantic sprint and eventually crossed the line in 15th place. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old was satisfied with his performance: “I felt pretty good. The team gave me excellent support all day.”
Particularly noteworthy was Jakobsen’s own assessment of his performance. “That’s the best race I’ve done in the past two years,” said the Dutchman afterwards. Whilst the result isn’t yet where he wants to be in the long term, his main focus at the moment is on making progress step by step. He is therefore looking forward to the coming weeks with optimism.
Wagner also drew a positive conclusion. The sporting director pointed out that, after some difficult years, Jakobsen had once again been competitive in a sprint finish over almost 200 kilometres. “For me, the most important thing is that he was back among the leaders after 200 kilometres. He’s come a long way, so I’m very pleased,” explained Wagner.
The fact that Jakobsen continues to believe in a comeback, despite several difficult seasons, was one of the main reasons for his Switch to Visma | Lease a Bike. Although his debut in the yellow and black jersey did not yet yield any major success, it did provide the first signs that the former world-class sprinter might be on the right track.
Lukas Niebuhr
Editor
