Pinarello-Q36.5 duo outwitted as underdog Pithie beats the odds in Cologne

Laurance Pithie won Rund um Köln on Sunday afternoon. In a captivating finale, Pithie — the lone Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider — was up against both Fred Wright and Aimé De Gendt of Pinarello-Q36.5, yet the New Zealander still won the sprint.

In the shadow of the Giro d'Italia — and several other races besides — Rund um Köln was held in Germany on Sunday. The German 1.1 race, in and around the city of Cologne, was celebrating its 108th edition, attracting four WorldTour teams: Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Alpecin-Premier Tech, Picnic-PostNL and Lotto-Intermarché.

Visma | Lease a Bike entered their development team, with Louis Barré as their headline name. On paper, though, it looked like a day for the sprinters — among them Jordi Meeus, Arne Marit and Danny van Poppel (all three Red Bull), the returning Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor), Gerben Thijssen (Alpecin) and Jason Tesson (TotalEnergies).

After around 30 kilometres, five riders established a lead group — among them Dutch rider Rik van der Wal (EEW-VDK). The peloton initially seemed content to let them go, though Nils Politt — born in Cologne and riding with the German national team — tried to animate the racing early. He couldn't get clear, but the gap to the leaders was quickly reduced.

With 59 kilometres remaining, the break was caught. Barré then attacked on behalf of Visma | Lease a Bike — Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe closed that gap down, and Pithie rode clear alongside the Pinarello-Q36.5 duo of Wright and De Gendt, 46 kilometres from the finish.

A fresh attack from Barré stirred an already unsettled peloton, but the three leaders held firm. Visma development talent Ashlin Barry rode away from the bunch alongside a Flanders-Baloise duo — but that trio also could not bridge the gap to Pithie, Wright and De Gendt.

The peloton caught the chasers, but the leaders appeared untroubled. They still had 25 seconds in hand — setting up what looked like a decisive two-against-one sprint. Despite being outnumbered, Pithie won. The New Zealander outsprinted both Pinarello-Q36.5 riders in a fine finale.