Brennan missed the move and van Aert lacked the legs: Visma | LaB out of the fight for victory in Germany

The team had control all day. Steven Kruijswijk took on the role of Silvan Dillier, leading three-quarters of the race. The Dutchman ensured that the breakaway riders were caught. In the hilly phase, it was then up to the two leaders. Again, everything seemed to be going well, but it was in the final sprint that it all went wrong. Brennan finished eighth, Van Aert 22nd: 14 seconds behind winner Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates - XRG).

Sports director Robert Wagner also saw that almost everything went well. “Everything went perfectly until after the bonification sprint,” said the German on the team's website. "Steven controlled the race all day, which meant that the breakaway riders were caught in time. We had said beforehand that if the bonus sprint was for the peloton, Wout would get involved. He did just that. He was then in a good group, but didn't have the legs yet to stay at the front.“

It was a disappointment, but Brennan was still there. However, the 20-year-old star had to go it alone after his Belgian teammate dropped out. While he managed to do so on Thursday, it was too chaotic this time around. “Matthew was alone in the front group and had to take a bit of a gamble. In the end, three riders broke away.”

Nevertheless, they are not giving up, because the young British rider is in great shape. That is why the Dutch team is going back to the drawing board for the coming days. “When you see how strong he is on those climbs, you know he's feeling good. Unfortunately, we didn't get the result we were hoping for today, but we're still very close in the standings. Tomorrow we'll make a new plan..”