Continental team or not, dominant Brennan outsprints Girmay to claim 7th win of the season at Rund um Köln

May means we have two major one-day races in Germany on the schedule. On the first day of the month, Michael Matthews won the Eschborn-Frankfurt. The Rund um Köln is a different cup of tea: while the climbers who are good sprinters dominate in central Germany, it's really up to the pure sprinters in Cologne.

Nevertheless, there is also a chance that a breakaway rider will win, as seen from the race's list of winners. The climbs along the route are short but vicious. Just look at the 2022 edition, when Nils Politt won. The German was also there this year, albeit riding for the national team. Last year's winner, Casper van Uden, was in Italy for the Giro d'Italia. However, his teammate Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), and Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike development) were at the start. Arnaud De Lie was also there, as the Lotto sprinter made his comeback after a break. The Belgian himself had low expectations.

A German race, and therefore, German attackers. From the start, seven men broke away, including five home riders. Of course, they were given little space by the sprinter teams: Visma | Lease a Bike and Intermarché took responsibility and kept the seven in sight. Halfway through, the gap was only 2 minutes; after that, it only got smaller. The Agathaberg was the decisive point of the race, about 54 kilometers from the finish. Not long, but steep, and there Tudor accelerated under the guidance of Marco Haller. It split the peloton, and suddenly, there were only 40 riders left at the front.

Among them were Brennan and Girmay, but also names such as Amaury Capiot (Arkéa) and Hugo Hofstetter (Israel - Premier Tech). The pace was increased considerably, and the breakaway riders were left behind. The second peloton followed less than a minute behind the leading group. It included many riders from Tudor, Red Bull, and Picnic, but they left the work to the small BIKE AID team. It was clear that their sprinters were ready for the finish.

Haller also powered through the penultimate climb but was overshadowed by Politt. The German attacked with full force, but Brennan was quick to respond. He slipped into third position, but it all came back together again. The small peloton was challenging to control, but Intermarché-Wanty still had Jonas Rutsch to work hard for his leader. On the Bensberg, the final climb, however, it was battle again. Valentin Retailleau (TotalEnergies) broke away, but once again, everything came back together.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe took control for Meeus, but the few helpers made it difficult. There was a series of attacks, but the teams of Meeus and Brennan managed to restore order. An attack by Ole Theiler, riding for the small REMBE | Rad-net team, seemed hopeless. But the sprinter teams left the work to the development team of Visma | Lease a Bike, and the young riders had a tough time. With help from Intermarché, the German was caught.

This meant a sprint finish in Cologne. Lotto brought Milan Menten into position, but Girmay was also well-placed. Meeus chose to follow the Eritrean, but Brennan was right behind him. It became a duel between Girmay and Brennan, which the 19-year-old British rider won. It is his seventh victory of the season.