On this Sunday, June 29, Georg Zimmermann brought a prestigious national title to team Intermarché-Wanty team by becoming the German Champion in the road race in Linden.
The 27-year-old climber from Augsburg was accompanied by his teammate Jonas Rutsch to brave the high temperatures and 3,330 meters of elevation gain in the Palatinate region to finally secure the first national title of his career after 198 kilometers.
This marks his second victory this season, having already reached a new milestone by winning his first stage race at the Giro d’Abruzzo. Georg Zimmermann will wear his new Verge Sport jersey during his fifth Tour de France, which starts on July 5 in Lille.
Georg Zimmermann’s title adds to the two other successes achieved by Wanty-NIPPO-ReUz riders, Mewael Girmay and Shunsuke Imamura. Biniam’s brother became the Eritrean U23 Time Trial Champion on Friday, while Imamura became the Japanese Elite Time Trial Champion this Sunday.
In France, Louis Barré once again distinguished himself on the selective course in Les Herbiers. He was in contention for the win until the final two kilometers in which he gave it his all with a late attack. Ultimately caught, he finished sixth after 214 kilometers and nearly 5 hours in the heat of the Vendée.
In Italy, Francesco Busatto finished ninth in the road race contested between Trieste and Gorizia, arriving 28 seconds behind the winner Filippo Conca. His compatriot Simone Gualdi won the bronze medal in the U23 category in Boario Terme.
Photo Credit: Réne Vigneron
"Today was a real roller coaster of emotions. When I got a flat tire at the crucial moment, I honestly thought about giving up. But I managed to motivate myself again, thanks to the exceptional support from my teammate Jonas Rutsch. In the end, everything just clicked for me. When Engelhardt attacked, I kept a cool head and stayed on his wheel, and in the final meters, I was able to use that last bit of power I had left to win this German Champion title. It's fantastic, it's a huge achievement to have the honor of wearing the jersey for a year; it was one of my career goals. Now, I still have the dream of winning a stage at the Tour de France and participating in the Olympic Games someday..."
