Awesome! Photo: Sportza.be
What a stud. I would not have guessed he was going to be the first man up the Koppenberg. When the field is going warp speed to get good position for the tight right turn at the base of the Koppenberg, it takes some special legs to get there first. André bolted well before that turn and had enough daylight between himself and everyone else to have a little daylight left by the top. He does have the legs. Doing it in the German road race champion jersey only adds to the stud factor.
When Greipel, the sprinter, does this or Tony Martin, the time trial champion does that, it gives me hope. These Germans, they have the cycling spirit. Being a great sprinter or a great time trialist may be their strength but these guys are great cyclists, period. Give them a race and great cyclists can do great things.
The Gorilla was never going to win the Ronde with that move but he was going to keep himself at the front for his teammates after the Koppenberg. Twenty-one year old Lotto-Soudal teammate Tiesj Benoot, who finished 5th, must have been inspired to go a little further into the pain cave with a cyclist like André working for him.
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@paolo well yeah, that's probably one pre-requisite...
For some reason I didn't like him at first. Then, the more I saw and the more I read he became one of my favorites. The big man was German national hill climb champion as a junior. I mean, come on! How can you not like that?
Greipel was amazing to watch in Flanders. His multiple efforts on the front and pushing the pace made it that much more fun to watch.
Greipel, Degenkolb, Kittel and Tony Martin are bringing cycling back into the right direction in Germany. The TdF will also be once again shown on public TV, which makes a big difference.
@dyalander
Spot on assessment, reminds me of Thor Hushovd a few years back. He quickly realised that his sprinting days were gone when Cav came along so he started focussing on amassing points for primes and placings as well as nicking solo stage wins. Remember that epic solo across the Col D'Aubisque while wearing the Rainbow Jersey. I think it was Jeremy Roy who had made the early escape and there was an incredible aerial shot of Hushovd visibly upping the pace once he was in his sights. It really was like hunter vs prey, really awe inspiring stuff. He recorded 98 kmh descending the Aubisque.
@1860
100% agreed. If the German media don't embrace their current crop of riders: Greipel, Martin, Degenkolb, Kittel, Burghardt ey al, then when? I'm pretty sure they run clean and you have a nice range of characters and personalities to boot.
@wiscot
The USA would be lucky to have a group like that. FFS, we got nothing! No monuments, no big studly hardmen, no Spring Classics riders. Balls.
With guns like these, how can you be anything but awesome? (You'll note I did not choose to use the photo of Heir Greipel and Robert Forstemann's quads where they dropped trow in the Olympic village. Tighty-whities aside, someone was seen wearing compression socks).
@Ccos
Incredible.
Makes me as a half german proud... unfortunately my guns are nowhere near the gorillas.