Maciej Paterski has proved one more time that he is in the best shape of his life, by claiming 2nd place in the Dutch one-day event Volta Limburg Classic. The entire CCC team put in a great performance and was riding aggressively and setting the pace in the bunch. 

"The entire team was amazing today. We had a very strong roster and we controlled the race basically from the very beginning. We showed up with one thought in our minds - to win. That was the goal. We can be satisfied with the 2nd place tough. There were lots of attacks and we were involved in all of them," Maciej Paterski said afterwards. 

"I didn't feel very well in the first part of racing, but I got into the right rhythm and after a while the good sensations came back. It was a very lively finale, with one move after another. I started the last sprint from behind of the group but I was steadily passing the rivals. I finished only behind Stefan Kung, who attacked earlier and crossed the line by himself. The last 200 meters were paved with cobbles but it didn't bother me."

Over 30 short, but steep hills were ahead of the riders. It was a perfect course for a Amstel Gold Race build-up event. The first 1.5h of racing was very fast. One breakaway attempt was followed by another. After a series of attacks, a 7-man group emerged in the front, with Marek Rutkiewicz. He was riding alongside Manuel Senni (BMC Racing), Bert-Jan Lindeman (Team Lotto NL-Jumbo), Sam Oomen (Rabobank Development Team), Reinier Honig (Team Roompot Oranje Peloton), Ike Groen (Cyclingteam Join's - De Rijke) and Michael Vingerling (3M).

They were chased down by another group that consisted of 7 riders. At one point Rutkiewicz got a flat tire, was dropped and reeled in by the chasers. Eventually both groups merged and Rutkiewicz maintained his place in the lead. He survived a few shake-ups in the front until 40 km to go. This is when he lost contact with the other escapees and returned to the bunch, which was led by his teammates. Despite a long ride in the break, he still managed to contribute to the chase.

23km from the line CCC Sprandi Polkowice began to rip the peloton apart. First Davide Rebellin and Maciej Paterski pushed the pace and tried to break clear. They were caught and Paterski tried one more time. This move was also neutralized. Grega Bole tried to pull away as well but the others didn't want to let him go either.

Eventually Paterski broke away with a few other riders and was attempting to close the gap tp the solo leader, Stefen Kung (BMC Racing). He was the last escapee who held on to his position in the front. The Swiss rider took the win and Paterski's group arrived 26 seconds behind him. CCC Sprandi Polkowice representative launched his sprint late but it turned out to be a perfect moment. The final 200 meters were going slightly uphill on cobbles, and Paterski was strong enough to overtake all his opponents, claiming 2nd place.

Grega Bole finished in 12th place and Davide Rebellin was 25th. Only 49 riders completed the race.