In his third year at Movistar, Jasha Sütterlin was not only an important domestique. For the first time he also achieved top results. He took second place behind the superior Tony Martin in the German TT Championships and with a third place in the time trial, he laid the foundations for the 11th place at the WorldTour race Eneco Tour.
"Overall I am satisfied with my season. I had some ups and downs, but that's part of it. I also had no bad crashes and never had to take a long break, "Sütterlin told radsport-news.com.
One of the highlights was the debut at a Grand Tour. At the Giro d`Italia Sütterlin was pleased not only to reach the finish but to have helped Alejandro Valverde to get onto the podium. "That my captain Valverde was third and I also arrived in Turin made me very happy," said the 24-year-old.
Sütterlin presented himself in the best form at the Eneco tour - and not just because of third place in the fight against the clock. "After the time trial, I was fully focused on the overall standings and managed to be in the front group on the difficult final stage," said Sütterlin who was dropped by his breakaway companions five kilometers from the finish line on the last climb of the day and so lost his hope of a podium place.
"Eleventh place was an upward trend compared to the previous year, but also a disappointment because I had just missed the podium," he said.
Nevertheless, Sütterlin started the Doha Worlds in the autumn with a lot of self-confidence and as the second German starter alongside Tony Martin he targeted a top 10 in the time trial. Sütterlin failed as he was only 33th in the end. "It was just disappointing, I did not have the legs and I hope it will be better in the future," said Sütterlin who didn’t make the front group in the windy road race.
Sütterlin will also ride for Movistar - "the best team in the world" – in 2017. "There is still a family atmosphere, which is extremely important if you want to have success in this sport. The team believes in me and pushes me when it just does not work well," Sütterlin praised the sports management.
In his fourth season as a professional, he will not only for for the first victory. "I want to be good at the classics too, and with some luck and the right training, I can be in the top 20 in races like Paris-Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders,” Sütterlin said.
He also hopes to make his debut at the Tour de France, which will start in Düsseldorf. "I'll do everything I can to ensure that Movistar selects me. I'm going to go full gas," Sütterlin announced, marking the Eneco Tour and the Worlds on top of his list of priorities for the second half of the season.
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