The German one-day race Rund um Koln was dominated by a big breakaway containing 18 escapees including several CULT Energy Pro Cycling riders. Eventually, Linus Gerdemann made it into the crucial small group and finished 4th.

It took a long time for the breakaway to get established but when it finally went they meant business and CULT Energy’s Linus Gerdemann, Fabian Wegmann, Christian Mager and Troels Vinther were all in the mix. As the race progressed and toughened, a select group containing Gerdemann and Tom Boonen (Etixx-Quick Step) broke clear. During the run-in to Cologne, Gerdemann made a few moves to avoid the small group sprint but the powerful contenders were on his tail.

In the sprint, he finished fourth while Tom Boonen took the win.

“Our plan was to try to prolong the time before the right break would be allowed to go in order to make sure the group would be strong enough to make it and after an hour on the road, they managed to break away. They were all doing very well and Christian won the mountains jersey along the way while Linus was in the select group lasting all the way to the finish line. They know Linus and were aware they couldn’t let him go but he did the only reasonable thing to do and tried to break clear. Ultimately, we can be happy with the overall effort and result,” says Luke Roberts