Greipel Rounds Off Season With Victory
German fast man Andre Greipel has finished his 2008 season exactly as he started it, with his arms raised in victory in a bunch sprint. Victorious in the Tour Down Under Classic in Australia way back in January - his first race of the year - the Columbia rider’s final win of the season came in the Munsterland-Giro in Germany on Friday.
Greipel will now call a halt to his nine-month long season after racking up a remarkable total of 15 victories, including stages in the Tour of Italy and Tour of Germany as well as four stages and the overall of the Tour Down Under.
“It’s been an amazing season for Andre.” commented Jan Schaffrath, the Columbia sports director in the Munsterland-Giro, “and it’s a great way for him to finish the year.”
“The sprint worked out perfectly, [team-mate] Gerald Ciolek gave him a lead-out and he took the win comfortably.”
“It was a slight uphill finish, not too technical, and Andre judged it well.”
Greipel’s team-mate Tony Martin crashed on a bend with about a kilometer to go but Schaffrath reports that fortunately he did not suffer any serious injuries.
“The team rode really well, working with the other sprinters’ teams bringing back a break of five guys with about 20 kilometers to go.”
“It was always pretty inevitable we would have a bunch sprint, because the course was really flat, there was no wind and it was a clear, dry day.”
“Once the break had been brought back, [Greipel’s team-mates] Servais Knaven and Marcel Sieberg kept the pace high on the front so there wouldn’t be any more attacks.”
“The race did a couple of laps through the finishing city, but it wasn’t too technical, just a few cobbled sections and nothing too stressful.”
“Then we set it up perfectly for the sprint. It’s a fantastic way for Andrei to end his season - by far the best of his career.”
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