Maxim Van Gils ends spring in style with sprint victory in Eschborn-Frankfurt, Thibau Nys is included in the sprint

The icing on an excellent spring. Maxim van Gils has won the WorldTour race Eschborn-Frankfurt – his first victory in the WorldTour. After a tough race we had a sprint with a thinned out peloton and our compatriot was surprisingly the fastest. Thibau Nys was also in that group, but was included in the sprint.

The young Jan Christen of UAE Team Emirates started with a solo on the last slope of the day almost forty kilometers from the end, but against the chasing group – led by Lidl-Trek and Alpecin Deceuninck – it would be extremely difficult. After a tough race, including an aggressive Ben Healy and Emmanuel Buchmann, the chasing group consisted of barely thirty riders.

Thibau Nys had completed the Tour de Romandie well and was in the group behind Christen, just like Maxim Van Gils. On paper, Nys might even have been the fastest man in that group. But if he wanted to sprint for the win, they had to bring Christen back. The 19-year-old Swiss continued to fight for every second and still had ten seconds with five kilometers to go. It would be difficult, but in the chasing group they had to make every effort.

Just over two kilometers from the end, Christen was up for the effort and so we could prepare for a sprint. Thibau Nys nestled in the wheel of his teammate Giulio Ciccone, who took the lead one kilometer from the finish. Nys lost some positions in the last corner and allowed himself to be closed in, while on the other side of the road another compatriot found space. Van Gils started and sprinted impressively to victory. The icing on an excellent spring for the 24-year-old Belgian, in which he finished third in the Flèche Wallonne and fourth in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. With Kobe Goossens (sixth), another compatriot finished in the top ten, Nys ultimately finished thirteenth.

Rash:

1. Maxim Van Gils

2. Alex Aranburu

3. Riley Sheehan

4. Lukas Nerurkar

5. Roger Adria

6. Kobe Goossens

7. Kevin Vermaerke

8. Soren Kragh Andersen

9. Marc Hirschi

10. Markus Hoelgaard