On Easter Sunday, the 99th edition of the Tour of Flanders led the riders from Brugge to Oudenaarde. After 265 kilometers, the Norwegian Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) won this cycling monument. He outsprinted fellow attacker Niki Terpstra (Etixx – Quick Step). Greg van Avermaet (BMC) finished in third place. Paul Voss and Andreas Schillinger crossed the line with a chasing group. Before, Ralf Matzka represented the team’s colors in front of the race for a long time.

“We have seen a very good race from the team today. It was hard to get into the break of the day after the race start, but Ralf finally made it into the decisive group. Actually, it was already a great performance to stay in front because there were many teams that wanted to chase down the group immediately”, BORA – ARGON 18 Sport Director Enrico Poitschke comments the opening of the race.

“Ralf rode a great race, also from a tactical point of view. He was always in front at the climbs and cobblestone sectors, so he could stay in the lead for a long time. Even though the group fell apart after an attack, Ralf was able to stay right behind the two leaders. It was good that Björn [Thurau] bridged later to Ralf’s group from a team perspective. The other riders supported Paul and Scott [Thwaites] back in the field. The team worked well there, too. Everyone gave their best and we haven’t made a mistake today. We escaped crashes and mechanicals, so we are very satisfied”, Poitschke continues.

“In the end, we are not among the riders who ride here for the victory. But as a team we make enormous steps forward into the right direction in these big races and the team evolves constantly. This makes us optimistic for the coming years”, says Enrico Poitschke summarizing the race.