At the first German race of the season, Team Storck – MRW BAU delivered a strong and aggressive performance at Rund um Köln. Even though the team ultimately had to settle for 16th place through Matthew Walls, the squad remained active and visible throughout the entire race.
Of course, we had hoped for a little more at our first major race on German soil. The clear goal was to achieve a Top 10 result in front of the home crowd.
From the early stages of the race, we raced offensively. Paul Keller managed to make it into the strong eight-man breakaway of the day and represented our colors at the front of the race for a long time. The group initially worked well together before eventually being caught again, which completely reshuffled the race dynamics.
The expected decisive moment then came at the famous Agathaberg climb.
There, Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe and Tudor Pro Cycling Team dramatically increased the pace and caused the first major split of the day. The well-known accordion effect created major difficulties for many riders, as the peloton repeatedly compressed and stretched in the rear positions of the field.
However, we managed to position ourselves very well at this crucial point of the race. According to our Sports Director Felix Linders, the team entered the climb “in fifth and sixth position,” which allowed us to survive the first important selection without major issues.
As the race continued, a first chasing group of around 45 riders formed, where we remained represented and continued to race actively.
In the chaotic finale, however, we ultimately lacked the final meters and perhaps a bit of racing luck to secure the desired Top 10 result. Matthew Walls eventually sprinted to 16th place, once again confirming his strong current form.
Even though the final result fell slightly short of our expectations, we take many positives away from this race. The team presented itself as united, aggressive and competitive against several higher-level teams — exactly the foundation we want to continue building on in the upcoming races.
