This Sunday, the fourth stage of the Tour of Germany (2.Pro, 26-29/08) on the wet roads between Erlangen and Nuremberg was the last chance for the riders to conquer the final victory. With its six categorized climbs, the final stage of 156 kilometer was considered as the queen stage.
Georg Zimmermann was active from the start of the tour and didn’t deviate from his habits this Sunday. After the riders of the early breakaway were caught and all climbs were behind the back with 40 kilometer to go, the 23 year old was part of a group of strong riders to which Jonas Koch was added later.
For the third time this week, Zimmermann managed to win bonus seconds in the final intermediate sprint. By crossing the line in 3rd position 3 kilometer before the finish, he won one second. Alexander Kristoff sprinted to the victory in a group of 35 riders, Jonas Koch was 10th in Nuremberg and also concluded the Tour of Germany in 10th place. Thanks to his collection of bonus seconds, Zimmermann is 5th and goes hom with the white jersey for best young rider.
I'm proud about the way I showed my combativity to my home crowd during those four days! This final stage filled with small and steep climbs was ridden at a very high pace. Even for the deserved winner Nils Politt and his strong team it was difficult to control the stage. I admit that my legs weren't as good as the previous days, but I managed to stay in the first group and win another bonus second. In this way, I secured the young rider's jersey and a 5th place in the final classification. I'm very satisfied with this result in my first national tour! I'm already looking forward to my next race on home soil, Eschborn-Frankfurt!
