Fabio Jakobsen makes an encouraging comeback as Olav Kooij takes a resounding victory in Germany

For one rider, the German race—which is traditionally held on October 3 to mark German Unity Day—was a special occasion: Fabio Jakobsen made his debut in the yellow-and-black jersey of Visma | Lease a Bike, after spending the past few months preparing with his new team.

Mads Pedersen’s presence was also noteworthy, as the Dane is set to compete in the European Championships on Sunday in Slovenia, which is quite a distance away. After finishing sixth at the World Championships in Montreal, the training machine put the finishing touches on his preparations for the championships by racing in Germany.

The Münsterland Giro kicked off in Borken, not far from the border with the Netherlands. Kelland O'Brien (Jayco AlUla), Samuele Zoccarato (MBH), Ward Vanhoof (Flanders Baloise), Samuel Leroux (TotalEnergies), Arno Wallenborn (Lotto Kern Haus), and Noe Ury (Storck) joined the breakaway.

On a beautiful October day, the teams of the top sprinters controlled the race. Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), and Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) each placed a rider at the front, making the scenario seem pretty much set in stone.

With 15 kilometres to go, the main peloton entered Münster for the first time, where, as is tradition, three more 5-kilometre laps through the city centre were to be completed. During that phase, Pedersen led the pack as part of his final preparations for Sunday’s European Championships. Dylan Groenewegen’s purple-and-blue train and the Unibet Rose Rockets were also visible at the front.

Jakobsen was still there too, along with Matthew Brennan, in that final stretch. Things were a bit chaotic because none of the teams were really in sync as they entered the final lap. Philipsen and Merlier weren’t even in sight. Kooij was, though, on the wheel of the incredibly strong Daan Hoole.

Kooij even let Hoole’s wheel get away, leaving the fast rider suddenly with a gap in the final 2.5 kilometers. NSN fixed the situation, while Pedersen was stuck on the wheel of Walscheid, who was slowing down. The Dane made his move 700 meters from the finish, after which Decathlon took over. It was a successful move, as Kooij finished it off brilliantly.

You can see the full results here.