He probably wouldn’t have imagined such a scenario a few hours earlier, but after bravely holding off the peloton on the ADAC Cyclassics in Hamburg this Sunday, Johan Jacobs could understandably feel some frustration. While one of his breakaway companions, Rory Townsend, claimed victory just ahead of the favorites, the Swiss rider was caught just 200 metres from the finish line, and therefore couldn’t conclude his sublime day with a significant result. Paul Penhoët took twelfth in the sprint.
Many of the world’s best sprinters were on German soil this Sunday for one of the WorldTour Classics that traditionally suits them. Around Hamburg, and after 207 kilometres of racing, a sprint was anticipated on the ADAC Cyclassics, on a profile tallying less than 2,000 metres of elevation gain. “On the other hand, we had to climb the Waseberg five times (700m at 9%) this year, which had never been done in the past,” Jussi Veikkanen explained. “On paper, it was therefore harder than usual. Initially, it was not planned for us to take the breakaway. Clément [Davy] didn’t start, we were down to six men, but Johan improvised on the spot and found himself in a breakaway of four that took more than five minutes of a lead.” Alongside Nelson Oliveira, Dries De Pooter and Rory Townsend, the Swiss rider even enjoyed a lead of almost six minutes around the halfway point. “There were only four of us, but we were all very motivated,” he said. “Everyone took turns, we worked well together, and we realized we could achieve something if we continued to cooperate.”
“I felt very strong,” Johan Jacobs
On the second and third times up the Waseberg, with about sixty kilometres to go, the gap however dropped to two minutes due to a strong push in the peloton. “We felt that the peloton would be able to catch them easily in the last 30-40 kilometres, but every time there was an acceleration, it got disorganized, and that was to the advantage of the breakaway,” added Jussi. “The race circumstances made us believe it was possible.” At the front, the quartet continued to work well together until the final ascents of the Waseberg, located 27 and 16 kilometres respectively from the finish line. Although Johan Jacobs broke away slightly on the penultimate climb, he then got together with his escape mates to keep the adventure going, and they approached the final climb with a one-minute margin. At the top, the gap was still thirty seconds, as the peloton exploded for the final time, reducing to around forty riders. “I didn’t really believe in the break’s chances before the final climb, especially since the break never made it to the finish here,” Jussi confessed. “They attacked hard in the back, but then things settled down a bit. It wasn’t very organized, and they weren’t losing that much time up front, so we thought something was possible.”
Down to three up front, Johan Jacobs, Nelson Oliveira, and Rory Townsend continued to cooperate as best they could, maintaining a lead of twenty seconds with five kilometres to go. “What went against us, I think, was the fact that De Pooter was dropped on the last Waseberg, because his teammates then pulled in the peloton and one of them closed 5-6 seconds in the last five kilometres,” said Jussi. However, the ten-second gap recorded with three kilometres to go was still the same as they passed under the flamme rouge! Victory seemed still possible 500 metres from the line, while the pack, launched at full speed, was only five seconds behind. Rory Townsend then decided to open the sprint with more than 300 metres to go, the Swiss of Groupama-FDJ tried to follow him but could not match the Irishman’s acceleration. Townsend was able to narrowly resist the return of the best sprinters from the peloton, while Johan Jacobs’ hopes for a result vanished just 200 metres from the line. “Rory was really strong, his sprint was really incredible,” he said. “I’m still a little disappointed to miss a podium for just a few metres, but that’s life. I have to look at the bigger picture. I’m coming back after a difficult illness, I didn’t have the best summer, but I felt very strong today and this performance shows that I’m on the right track. There will be other opportunities.”
“We have to take the positive,” Jussi Veikkanen
“For sure it’s disappointing when you’re part of the winning breakaway and that you end up empty-handed, especially when it’s so close,” added Jussi. “A podium would have been well-deserved given the effort he put in the breakaway, but we have to take the positive. We know that June and July weren’t easy for him. He was already on the right track in Poland. Today, he confirms that the work in training has been well done, and he’ll now be able to focus on the end of the season.” Alone in the peloton after the final time up the Waseberg, Paul Penhoët finished just outside the top 10 (12th) in the final sprint, nevertheless posting his best performance in a WorldTour Classic.
