John Degenkolb was not rewarded with a medal for his strong performance at the European Road Cycling Championships. The 34-year-old finished in eighth place on Sunday after 199.8 kilometres in Wijster, Netherlands, having been part of the group of favourites right up to the final.
France's Christophe Laporte secured the European Championship title in a thrilling final on the Vamberg ahead of Belgium's Wout van Art and Olav Kooij from the Netherlands.
"I crashed once at the start and we had to fight our way back to the front. I'm proud of how we rode as a team. In the end it's eighth place, we can be proud of that," said Degenkolb on Eurosport. Looking at the winner Laporte, who, like van Aert and Kooij, rides for the dominant Jumbo-Visma team, the veteran said: "The guys from Jumbo are simply on another level. It's amazing what the human body can do."
On Saturday, German champion Liane Lippert finished seventh in the home victory of Mischa Bredewold from the Netherlands. The mixed relay team had won bronze at the championships in the province of Drenthe on Thursday.
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