It was one of those moments that the 25-year-old German cyclist had been waiting for since returning from an injury that derailed his season.
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An emotional and speechless Jannik Steimle celebrated his first victory of the season in Okolo Slovenska (Tour of Slovenia/Tour de Slovaquie) with his Deceuninck – Quick-Step teammates and staff, which came after a scrappy and nervous finish in Dolny Kubin. The small town in northern Slovakia is where the peloton finished the 179.7km stage two. It was one of those moments that the 25-year-old German cyclist had been waiting for since returning from an injury that derailed his season just ahead of the Spring Classics, putting him on the sidelines until the end of May, when he was finally able to compete.
The race was kept together by Deceuninck – Quick-Step until the final climb, where a flurry of attacks split the field into several groups, making things tough for the fast men. Jannik, the general classification winner at the 2020 edition, quickly jumped from the field to counter one of these moves, and with 12 kilometres to go, he found himself at the front of the race alongside Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe). They were quickly joined by eight more riders, while behind them, Shane Archbold and Michael Mrkv rode inside out to bring Alvaro Hodeg back into the game.
The catch was made three kilometres from the starting line, and the peloton began preparing for a mass gallop, but their plans were dashed with 300 metres to go when several riders slid out in a right-hand corner. Jannik, the first man to enter the finishing straight, was one of the few to avoid the incident and launched a mad dash to the line, culminating in the Wolfpack’s 59th victory of the season.
“The plan was to go for Alvaro again today, but with the last climb coming inside the final 15 kilometers, we knew the other teams would try something. After the top, I was at the front with Peter, but knowing the gaps to the chasers were small, I waited for Alvaro to come back, which he did after an incredible effort of the team,” Steimle said after his victory.
“The closing kilometers were quite hectic with a lot of corners. I was leading out for Alvaro with 500 meters to go, but we lost each other a bit, and then when that crash happened, I just went full gas and it paid off. It has been a hard year for me after that crash in the spring and I can’t tell you how happy I am to taste victory again, it’s such a huge relief. Winning feels great and I want to thank this fantastic team for always being by my side,” the 25-year-old German cyclist added. He is second now in the general classification, which continues to be topped by Alvaro Hodeg.
