Team Mapei-Heizomat got the third consecutive victory in Landshut, where Robert Retschke, who was racing for Wiesenhof-Felt last season, won a tough road race with a solo escape.
The Elite A and B racers had to first make up the handicap to category C, which was four minutes. After the category C riders were caught, the peloton began to shrink consistently on the tough circuit. Mapei-Heizomat still had seven riders in the mix for a long time and used the numbers to its advantage.
With two laps to go, Retschke went after a small leading group. Once he made contact, he attacked them and soloed in for the victory, after 142.2 kilometres. Helmut Trettwer (RSV Traunstein) and Martin Boubal (Ratisbona Regensburg) raced to places two and three, respectively. The lead group had completely splintered in the finale.
"This was a really strong performance from our team," directeur sportif Markus Schleicher smiled at the finish of a race that was held in ideal conditions.
(Additional reporting and research provided by Susan Westemeyer)
