In Willingen, Germany, Tim Smeenge won the 120-kilometer marathon through the Sauerland today by riding away from his closest attacker Urs Huber in the final. The Swiss had to pass when Smeenge attacked on a steep climb and Smeenge then soloed to the finishline. Teammate Teus Ruijter lost his fourth place in the final phase because he missed a turn, but still managed to finish fifth. Ramses Bekkenk had a less fortunate race: A sturdy branch bent his front chainring and reaching the finish was no longer an option for him. Rozanne Slik finished as fourth lady.
“Due to a mechanical defect, I initially missed the connection with the front runners. Luckily I managed to fix this quickly and reconnect at the front. With six men, including teammates Teus Ruijter and Ramses Bekkenk, we came back to the start after 52 kilometers to enter the second loop. Huber and I managed to leave the rest behind us with the later number three Mathijs Loman shortly behind us. I quickly realized that Huber was having a hard time and it showed when I started the attack in the third loop and he had to pass. It’s nice to win this UCI race here after a period with some mixed results,’ says Smeenge.