Team CSC's Jens Voigt today again demonstrated that well-placed attacks have a chance of coming...
Jens Voigt (CSC) (Image credit: AFP)
The eternal attacker's reward
Team CSC's Jens Voigt today again demonstrated that well-placed attacks have a chance of coming through, even if the odds are against them. By winning stage two of the Deutschland Tour, Voigt brought another ProTour victory to his palmarès and enjoyed the cheers of his homeland fans, as his breakaway of three saw the peloton only five seconds behind on the finishing straight in Goslar.
Jumping away from the main field on the last climb with 25 kilometres to go, Voigt was joined by Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) and Andrey Kashechkin (Astana), who placed second and third.
The stage saw Ronny Scholz (Gerolsteiner) on a first, 107 km long breakaway, but the German rider was caught at 50 km from the finish, just in time for the final two climbs. A break of eight riders including Voigt and Kashechkin emerged on the summit of the first, but couldn't hold its gap on the final ascent.
A truly motivated Voigt then broke away again, taking the last downhill to the finish together with Rebellin and Kashechkin, and proved in the end that he was the best-prepared for the finale, as well as the most consistent in his belief that victory was possible.
Race leader Vladimir Gusev (Discovery) retained the yellow jersey before tomorrow's bumpy stage from Witzenhausen to Schweinfurt, where another breakaway group could get clear.
