With the Czech coming back from a long injury lay-off, NetApp-Endura were a bit uncertain about what to expect from their GC leader Leopold König in the Bayern Rundfahrt. However, the Vuelta stage winner proved that he is already firing on all cylinders when he finished third in today's queen stage.

In today’s queen stage of the Bayern Rundfahrt, Leopold König finished third making an impressive comeback after being out due to an injury. After 164.7 kilometers, Team NetApp-Endura’s captain clenched his team's 13th podium finish, coming in behind Mathias Frank (IAM Cycling) of Switzerland and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ.fr) on the Winklmoos-Alm at an elevation of 1,150 meters. Sam Bennett, who kicked off the tour with a fourth place finish yesterday, was part of a four-man breakaway group for 81 kilometers.

“We have every reason to be very satisfied today. Third place with a difficult arrival, bad weather, and after a long injury and training phase is an excellent accomplishment. You can definitely see that we are on the right track. So far, there is still hope in the general classification as well. The margins are very close, which is why our goal of winning the tour is still within reach. Overall, today was a successful day. Sam was in the lead group and won two sprint classifications. The team worked hard for Leo and Jan. We will have to see how the next few days go now. There’s another stage tomorrow, then the decisive individual time trial,” Enrico Poitschke explained after the stage.

Today’s second stage began in Freilassing, where the yesterday’s first stage ended, then headed towards Bad Reichenhall and Berchtesgaden near the Austrian border, where the first two sprint classifications of the day took place. A category-1 mountain classification came at the 72.6-kilometer mark, followed by a category-2 climb 50 kilometers later on the route. The 164.7-km stage was decided in a summit finish on the Winklmoos-Alm in the Chimegau Alps at an elevation of 1,150 meters above sea level. After finishing fourth in yesterday’s mass sprint, Sam Bennett was able to demonstrate his all-rounder qualities today.

After just 11 kilometers, the young Irishman was part of a four-man breakaway group. In his usual fashion, the 23-year-old sprinter won the first two sprint classifications of the day. Before the group was caught after 81 kilometers, Bennett also made a good impression by finishing third in the first mountain classification. The second half of the race turned into a real elimination ride, as many cyclists lost the battle for the win of the day. In the end, 15 cyclists decided the winner of today’s stage among themselves.

The longest stage of this year’s Bayern Rundfahrt will be held tomorrow, on Friday, and will cover 233 kilometers. The stage will begin in Grassau south of Lake Chiemsee. The marathon stage will then go past Rosenheim and Munich to Neusäß on the northwest edge of Augsburg, where the winner will most likely be decided in a mass sprint or among a group of breakaway riders.