The competition only had to look behind: the five days through Germany turned out to be a total triumph for Team Lidl-Trek: the racing team licensed in the USA won all daily stages and the overall classification at the Tour of Germany. The Italian Olympic track champion Jonathan Milan won the short prologue individual time trial at the start and followed this up with two stage victories in the bunch sprint. As a result, he also took the green jersey for the points leader.
Lidl-Trek excels at the 2024 Tour of Germany
His team-mate Mads Pedersen took the sprints and secured overall victory with strong performances on the remaining days of the race. He gained the decisive seconds when he countered an attack by Archie Ryan (Ireland/EF Education) on the steepest ramp of the second stage in Schwäbisch Gmünd and only Tobias Halland Johannessen was able to follow in third place; ultimately, however, the overall classification was decided almost solely by the time credits of 20 seconds for his stage wins.
"We overperformed here. It will be a long time before a team wins every stage of a tour again." His racing team had sent a selection that was perfectly tailored to the requirements of the race. The clearing squad was planned - to the delight of the main sponsor Lidl, who is also the new most important financial backer of the tour. But the problem of double sponsorship also became apparent: because the leading jersey of the Tour of Germany corresponds to the supermarket chain's favourite colour, the overall leader was barely distinguishable from his team-mates in the live pictures. Ultimately, the other racing teams had no chance against Lidl-Trek's strong line-up.
Danny van Poppel was the best rider in the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe jersey at his home race, finishing second overall ahead of the fastest young pro Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility). The Norwegian, who celebrated his 25th birthday during the Tour, had to admit with a view to a possible overall victory: "Ultimately, we had no chance, but I think we put on a good show." And he praised the event, which is part of the Pro Series, the second-highest international racing series: "As riders, we had a great week. Everything was perfectly organised. As riders, we always felt safe. Then there were all the people at the track. And we were lucky with the weather."
Deutschland-Tour 2024: The talents show themselves
In general, the tour from Schweinfurt in Lower Franconia via the Swabian Alb and the foothills of the Black Forest and finally through the Palatinate Forest to Saarbrücken was a good stage for young racers. Jörgen Nordhagen is currently regarded as one of the greatest young talents in cycling. Many believe that the 19-year-old lightweight from Team Visma-Lease a Bike will soon become one of the best climbers in the professional peloton. He delivered his first strong demonstration of talent by winning the mountain classification of the tour.
Originally, Nordhagen wanted to compete in the Tour de l'Avenir, the Tour de France for young riders, in France during the same period and also wanted to win. However, the Norwegian federation did not have the money to send an U23 national team. "The Tour of Germany is a good second option," said the young man from Lillehammer, who made his first appearance at World Tour level on German roads. He was not the only youngster to enjoy the ride through Germany. 19-year-old Nick Bangert from Team Lotto-Kern-Haus-PSD Bank experienced what a "home race" feels like in the literal sense. "Indescribable" was the feeling of riding solo into his home town of Heilbronn, which he was able to complete as the best of a breakaway group. Friends and cycling acquaintances stood along the route for 50 or 60 kilometres. "That was incredibly supportive," said the local hero from RSG Heilbronn.
Small teams use the big stage at the Deutschland Tour
Like the second German Continental team Bike Aid, Bangert and his colleagues rode aggressively and utilised the biggest stage there is for small German teams. "The Deutschland Tour is incredibly important for us as a team. We can showcase our sponsors here," emphasised the young racer, who also proved to be a good team representative away from the race track. "Taking part in the Tour of Germany - with the start and finish in Heilbronn - has already been a dream come true," he emphasised. He can perhaps dream a little bigger for the future. And has perhaps whetted the appetite of many boys and girls for cycling. Just like Jens Voigt as children's supervisor for the bike races in the stage towns or the Newcomer Tour for the girls in the U17 class.
Results of the Tour of Germany 2024
Stage winner
- Prologue, 1. and 3: Jonathan Milan (ITA, Lidl-Trek)
- 2. and 4: Mads Pedersen (DEN, Lidl-Trek)
Overall ranking:
- Mads Pedersen (DEN, Lidl-Trek), 18:26:39 hrs.
- Danny van Poppel (NED, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), +0:22 min.
- Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR, Uno-X Mobility), +0:24
- Luke Lamperti (USA, Soudal-Quick-Step), +0:26
- Archie Ryan (IRL, EF Education-EasyPost), +0:38
- Florian Stork (GER, Tudor Pro Cycling), +0:39
- Scoring: Jonathan Milan (ITA, Lidl-Trek)
- Mountain classification: Jörgen Nordhagen (NOR, Visma-Lease a Bike)
- Young talent ranking: Tobias Halland Johannessen (NOR, Uno-X Mobility)
- Team classification: Caja Rural-Seguros RGA (ESP)
Andreas Kublik
Editor
