Daniel Schorn finishes 17th in the chasing riders’ sprint
Contrary to expectations, the first stage of the Vuelta a Andalucia is not be decided in a mass sprint; three of the riders in what was originally a four-man breakaway group, made up of Javier Ramirez (Andalucia), Luis Angel Maté (Cofidis) and William Routley (Spidertech), are able to maintain a lead of a few seconds at the finishing line.
In the chasing riders’ sprint, Daniel Schorn is unable to finish in a scoring position, coming in at 17th place.
Patrick Gretsch continues to lead the general classification (Project 1t4i), with Matthias Brändle defending sixth place as Team NetApp’s best rider.
A four-rider group in the lead set the pace for the first stage of the Ruta del Sol from Zahara de los Atunes to Benalmádena. “We were sure that it was possible to catch up with the group again in good time and that there would be a mass sprint. All of the lead times during the race showed that this was likely. At the end of the day, all of the teams’ judgment proved wrong and they only just got away with it,” explained Sport Director Enrico Poitschke.
In the uphill final stage, NetApp’s sprinter Daniel Schorn initially looked to be in a good position. “He was placed fourth among the chasing riders and started out in a good position. But sadly, he had to use up too much energy beforehand to reach this position, as the team had trouble finding their bearings. He just didn’t have the energy later on. Unfortunately, it didn’t go at all as we had expected,” said Poitschke with regret.
“Our second goal for today was to avoid having our riders lose time so that they could achieve the general classification, and thankfully we managed that,” said the Sport Director.
The second stage tomorrow from Málaga to Lucena ends after 144.7 kilometers with a mountain finish. “This is going to be a hard and fast stage. It’s going to be a decisive stage for the general classification. If you want to be out in front, you’ll have to go on the offensive tomorrow,” said Enrico Poitschke, assessing the situation.
prologue, 19 February: San Fernando, 6 km
stage 1, 20 February: Zahara de los Atunes – Benalmádena, 197.9 km
stage 2, 21 February: Málaga – Alto Santuario Virgen de Aracelli (Lucena), 144.7 km
stage 3, 22 February: Montemayor – Las Gabias, 157.1 km
stage 4, 23 February: Cruzcampo Jaén – La Guardia de Jaén, 135.7 km
