Deutschland Tour

Soudal Quick-Step concluded the five-day race as the only team to place two riders in the top ten overall, a feat made even more impressive by the fact both are neo-pros: Luke Lamperti and Gil Gelders.

The former was separated by just three seconds from the overall podium of the competition after he sprinted to third in Saarbrücken – his sixth podium since the beginning of the year – at the end of the final stage. One of the few Americans in history to take a top-three result at the Deutschland Tour, Lamperti concluded the race fourth on the general classification, while Gelders finished the week in ninth place.

“All in all, it was a good race for the team and we finished strongly this edition of the Deutschland Tour. I am content with today’s result. I did my best, but the two guys who finished in front of me were just faster. We take a lot from this week, including the great team spirit shown here, and this together with the results we had make us more confident for the next races. It was also nice to have Pieter Serry back in action and pulling so hard on the front”, said Lamperti after scoring the best result of an American rider here in 17 years.

Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images