Already the opening of the 4 Days of Dunkirk was characterized by the typical weather in Northern France. Wind, rain and cobblestones had a big impact on the race from the start in Dunkirk to the finish in Orchies. In the last 50 kilometers of the race, the field split repeatedly by echelons but BORA – ARGON 18 was always present at the front.

Björn Thurau rode aggressively in the final lap and he helped make sure that a leading group was able to keep the chasers at distance till the finish line. The stage victory went to Bryan Coquard (Europcar), who relegated Edward Theuns (Topsport Vlaanderen) to second place. Thurau had to pay the price in the final kilometer and he finished 13 seconds behind in a very good 5th place.

"We can be very satisfied with the result today. The fifth place is a result we can build on in the next few days. It’s very important for us as a team to kick off such a difficult tour with a top 5 result. Except Cesare [Benedetti], all our riders had a multi-week break from racing and without prior races the guys have a hard time on this course. Given that, the team’s presence and attitude led to an almost optimal result", comments Sport Director Christian Pömer the opening stage of the five-day race.  

"Björn has worked well in recent weeks. After his illness, he is now in very good shape and he surely was one of the strongest riders in the peloton today. We have decided to race as a unified team, to be a real active part of the race and to take turns in front. This is what the guys fully implemented and we will continue with that style", Pömer continues.