Cycling: Olav Kooij won the BEMER Cyclassics in Hamburg in a mass sprint. The Dutchman successfully beat the Italian Jonathan Milan and the Eritrean Biniam Girmay.
Kooij wins ahead of Milan and Girmay
The BEMER Cyclassics 2024 went to Olav Kooij (Visma – Lease a Bike). The Dutchman won after 198,5 kilometers starting and finishing in Hamburg, following three ascents of the notorious Waseberg climb. In the mass sprint, he narrowly edged out Jonathan Milan (Lidl – Trek) and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché – Wanty). The German team Bora – hansgrohe narrowly missed the podium, with Jordi Meeus finishing fourth.
Six strong outliers have no chance
Before the 27th edition of the BEMER Cyclassics was decided in a mass sprint, eight breakaway riders dominated the race. The breakaway group was quite impressive, featuring Michael Mørkøv (Astana), Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché – Wanty), Stefan de Bod ( EF Education – EasyPost), Rémi Cavagna (Movistar), Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), and Cyrus Monk (Q36.5). However, in the peloton , Jonathan Milan 's (Lidl – Trek) team was the main force in pursuit , aiming to force a sprint finish. Around 75 kilometers from the finish, a major crash occurred, taking out two fast sprinters , Tim Merlier (Soudal – Quick-Step) and Fernando Gaviria (Movistar).
Aranburu & Christen attack at Waseberg
Even before the second ascent of the Waseberg, the remaining five breakaway riders – Rémi Cavagna (Movistar) had already dropped back – were caught by the peloton. Spanish champion Alex Aranburu (Movistar) broke away over the crest of the steep climb, and was soon joined by Fabio Christen (Q36.5) from Switzerland. This duo didn't stay together for long, however. As the Waseberg was tackled for the final time, Aranburu simply rode away from Christen. The pace also increased in the reduced peloton, causing it to split into several groups. But in the remaining kilometers, the peloton began to coalesce. Aranburu was eventually caught, and nothing stood in the way of a mass sprint in Hamburg.