Team LottoNL-Jumbo emphatically showed itself during Eschborn-Frankfurt, Rund um den Finanzplatz, today. The team’s Juan José Lobato sprinted to sixth place on the wet streets and Alexander Kristoff won the German WorldTour-classic.

Before the sprint, Twan Castelijns lit up the race in the breakaway. The hard racing perfectly served him during the cold day. He and another cyclist linked with a five-man move up the road. They gained around 10 minutes.

”I actually hoped there would be more riders so that we could have a slightly bigger group,” Castelijns said.

"I felt strong on the first climbs, but in the end, the steep climb became increasingly heavy. The last time up, I had a bad moment, but then the peloton was already on the heels."

With 50 kilometres to go, the breakaway was caught, but the peloton also broke into different groups. Team LottoNL-Jumbo was well represented in the group that followed. A group of 18 included the team’s Floris De Tier, Paul Martens and Juan José Lobato. Martens and De Tier kept the pace high, but could not prevent a large group from closing.

In the final laps it was clear that a group of 50 could win the race. Jos van Emden and Bram Tankink were able to bring Lobato to the front, but Kristoff was the fastest.

Castelijns delivered through the German cold

The race, and the intensity in view of the Giro d’Italia, went well for the team.

"The bad weather made it a tough race and then it's good to have someone in the front with Castelijns,” Sports Director Grischa Niermann. “Eventually, we saw a number of sprinters losing touch. It is good that Paul and Floris then split the peloton. Especially from Floris, it's nice that he can make the race hard at that moment. At the beginning of the course, the cold took its toll and he suffered. He came through it.

"In the final, it's terrible that Martens got a flat tyre because he was the last man for Lobato. Lobato could still keep himself ahead, but in the last turn, he lost many places. Eventually he was sixth, but we would’ve rather scored a better outcome."

Giro preparation

Castelijns test his legs with only five days to the start of the Giro d’Italia. It will be his second time to race.

"It was getting used to racing again, but it felt good. Your body gets used to the intensity,” Castelijns said. “I'm looking forward to it. I’ve trained well and I rode a good race today. It was a good preparation."

"Castelijns, Tankink and Van Emden will start in the Giro this coming weekend,” continued Niermann. “It is good to see that despite the bad weather, they keep fighting and made the race. That indicates that they are alright. "