Stefan Tabeling, dpa
Tadej Pogacar’s heir apparent, Isaac del Toro, battled his way up the small climb in Schwäbisch Hall, but all his efforts were in vain. The Tour de France bronze medallist had to concede victory on the first stage of the Tour of Germany – and with it the blue jersey of the overall leader – to the Frenchman Louis Barré. After 197 kilometres from Bad Orb to Schwäbisch Hall, the 26-year-old claimed victory solo, 16 seconds ahead of del Toro, and thus took the lead.
The best German rider was veteran Maximilian Schachmann, who finished tenth, 24 seconds behind. This means the wait for the first home victory in the D-Tour in five years continues. Nils Politt secured the last stage win in 2021 and went on to win the overall classification.
Politt has to let it go
The Cologne native lost 1 minute and 16 seconds on the classic course, which features 3,188 metres of climbing, and is therefore unlikely to have any chance of overall victory. The day before, he had got off to a good start in the prologue, finishing just eight seconds behind his team-mate del Toro. “My legs weren’t quite 100 per cent yet. Racing is quite different from training,” Politt told ARD. He enjoyed his home race nonetheless: “It was lovely; there were lots of fans lining the route. Racing in front of a home crowd is something special.”
“Everything for del Toro” is now the motto at the UAE team, which is no stranger to success. The Mexican is currently second in the general classification, just nine seconds behind. “Saturday will be extremely tough. Isaac is the favourite there,” said Politt. Del Toro is already aiming for his fourth stage race victory this year. The 22-year-old has previously won the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes (formerly the Dauphiné).
French attack just before the finish line
The race was effectively decided a good three kilometres from the finish, when Barré and Cyclassics winner Paul Magnier broke away. However, the French sprinter was unable to maintain the pace, leaving the way clear for Barré. The Frenchman is certainly a contender for the overall victory, having only just finished fourth overall in the Tour of Poland.
Former German champion Georg Zimmermann, who lost 24 seconds, still has hope. “All options are still open,” he said.
German breakaway riders make their mark
The German riders were keen to put on a good show at their home race. Miguel Heidemann and Ole Theiler, from the lower-division Rad-net team, were part of a three-man breakaway for much of the race. Although the break came to an end 46.8 kilometres from the finish, the team had secured the mountains classification jersey.
On Friday, the sprinters can look forward to a bunch sprint on the second stage. The 197-kilometre route from Schwäbisch Hall to Offenbach an der Queich is entirely flat, particularly in the second half.
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