Pello Bilbao finished fourth at Eschborn–Frankfurt, after a selective edition of the German WorldTour one-day race.
An early breakaway went clear and was controlled through the first part of the race. The pace increased on the climbs in the Taunus, where the peloton was gradually reduced.
The decisive move came on the final climb, where a front group went clear from the race. The group built a small advantage and worked together on the way to Frankfurt.
In the final kilometres, the peloton closed the gap significantly and nearly made contact, but the leading group held on to contest the sprint for victory.
Bilbao was well positioned in the final and crossed the line in fourth place. The race was won by Georg Zimmermann (Lotto Intermarche), ahead of Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) and Ben Tulett (Team Visma – Lease a Bike).
Pello Bilbao said:
“It was a difficult race to understand and at one point I thought our best chance would be to go with Zambanini in the sprint, because the race was not going so hard and seemed quite controlled by the fastest guys. But then, in the last two climbs, the race exploded.
We played our cards in the best way, made the race harder and the boys were excellent, very aggressive. I was able to join the big move with around 25 km to go.
In the end, it’s a bit of a strange feeling, because when you see the line while sprinting and you are so close to victory, then losing the podium in the last moment is a pity. But on the other hand, I know we did our best. It was difficult to play it in a different way.
I had to launch my sprint from far, even with the headwind, so that was my chance. The group behind was also very close, so there was not much room to wait in the last kilometre. It went full gas from far, and in the end some riders were in a better position for the final metres. But no regrets, I’m happy with the feeling and it’s nice to be in the mix at 36, in my last season. I’m also happy with the performance and thanks to the team.”
Sports director Aart Vierhouten added:
“First of all, we are happy with Pello’s result, which was really great again after all the Classics. Once more a top 10, and even a top five with fourth place. He deserved the podium. He was really close, but that’s cycling.
From the moment we started the race, we knew what to do and we were hoping for a harder race than usual, so that Jakob, Afonso and Pello could go for a good result with a breakaway on the steep climbs. When it was not hard enough, we decided to make it harder. Afonso did a really great job on the climbs to increase the pace and split the peloton.
On the final climb, Pello was in the front group and Jakob was very close as well, just missing it over the top. There were around 12 riders in front with Pello, all strong names, good riders and climbers. To finish fourth from that group, we are happy with that. Of course, we were aiming for the win, but when you come this close, you also have to be satisfied and confident that the win will come soon.
Behind, we still had Jakob, Afonso and Edoardo Zambanini in the group, so we were covered in both scenarios, whether it came back together or stayed away for Pello to sprint.
In the final, Pello did everything right. He knew the peloton was coming back, so he didn’t want to wait too long. He started his sprint at around 200 metres, moving from the middle of the road to the right side, with the wind coming from the left, so he put the others in the wind. Only the winner came from the right side, and at the line Pidcock beat him.
I was glad he took the initiative like that. In the end, we go home confident, with some riders heading towards the Giro, like Matevž, Edo and Afonso, and for others it’s time to rest after the Classics. It’s a good result with fourth place”.
