00:02Welcome to Highlights of Stage 1, Day 2 of the 41st edition of the Lidl Deutschland Tour and this one
00:09a really long stage, starting out where yesterday's prologue was won by Isaac del Toro, the Mexican road race and
00:18time trial champion, riding out of Bad Orb, the spa town, headed for another spa town, Swerbisch Heil, but a
00:25long, long way away.
00:26This is the longest stage, 215km, 3,298m of elevation, a really tough second phase as well, but really constantly
00:36up and down today, nobody was ever expecting it to be a sprint finish.
00:40We have a fascinating mix of fast men and world class general classification climbers on this year's race.
00:47This was the breakaway that eventually settled. One of the German continental teams, Rembiradne, managed to get two riders in
00:55there.
00:56Miguel Heydeman, the very experienced German, and his young teammate, Ole Thieler, in company of the Frenchman, Elan Laronde of
01:04Cajor Rural, the Spanish team.
01:06These three built up a lead at one point of nearly six minutes.
01:09UA Team Emirates had put their two youngsters on the front, the youngest man in the race, Matteo van den
01:14Weingart, and Maurice Maus, the teenagers, two teenagers on the front for UA Team Emirates chasing.
01:21The rain came and went as well. We did get rain early in the stage, and I can tell you,
01:26it wasn't the last we saw of it either.
01:28They did a really good job, these three. Really, it was going to be all about the King of the
01:31Mountains points.
01:32It's two of our first two King of the Mountains points in this year's race, and despite the chasing of
01:37the two youngsters from UA Team Emirates,
01:39our breakaway of three was hanging on to a healthy three, three and a half minutes as they rolled through
01:45thick, lush, forested countryside,
01:48riding due south into Baden-Württemberg eventually.
01:54The gap was coming down as they came on to the first of the King of the Mountains climbs,
02:01and then by the time they got to the Heimersberg, it was Miguel Hedeman and Ole Theiler knowing they had
02:07a great opportunity to get the points,
02:09and the rain was coming in. Total Energy's Alexi Brunel was giving it a go on the climb as well.
02:16This was a tough one, the Heimersberg, and it really was what ignited the general classification battle.
02:21Well, the two Renby Radnet riders actually sprinted it out between them.
02:24I was not expecting this. Ole Theiler, who'd taken the Reichsholzheim, then out-sprinted by his own teammate, Miguel Hedeman,
02:32who would be the King of the Mountains wearer come the finish, too.
02:36That team, Renby Radnet, were not done with the attacking either, and that teased out race leader Isak del Toro.
02:45Louis Barret having a go, and this was a phase of the race, by the way, where we saw constant
02:50attacks.
02:50A very strong-looking mark, he or she also attacking and being brought back in.
02:55The main peloton was getting smaller and smaller, and every time it was because the front end was being stretched
03:00like a piece of elastic,
03:01constantly with every single attack. It was a fascinating phase of the race,
03:04and one which spelled the end for our breakaway, too.
03:10Strong ride by Laurent, Heideman, and Thiele, but they were back in the fold.
03:13And that just meant new riders coming to the fore and also attacking.
03:17Front of the race split into three groups, all the while the blue leader's jersey of Isak del Toro,
03:23making all the right moves as well.
03:25Well, after we'd seen the attack of Alexei Brunel earlier, it was his young teammate,
03:30the young Frenchman Theo Ebert, the 22-year-old for Total Energie, who went off by himself.
03:35He was allowed a bit of room to get going out front, but I have to say it was a
03:39really strong ride.
03:40He took the first points at Waldenberg, and then it was Benjamin Thomas jumping clear of the group,
03:46the Frenchman who'd ridden a brilliant prologue to take the three points.
03:50Nikias Ant got the one point there.
03:53That was the first of three intermediate sprint points,
03:56the third and final of which would have bonus seconds attached to it, too.
04:00And Theo Ebert was doing such a good ride that it teased out Wilco Kelderman,
04:05the Dutch road race champion, spotting an opportunity to hook up with Ebert out front.
04:10Wilco Kelderman, since winning that Dutch national title, looking like a changed rider this season,
04:14really attacking, aggressive, and very strong indeed.
04:18He got up to Theo Ebert, and the two of them worked really well together.
04:22They never had a massive lead, they weren't allowed a massive lead,
04:25but they were over 30 seconds, something like 40 seconds at one point for the two of them.
04:28And it wasn't exactly like Ebert was hanging on to Kelderman, either.
04:32This was a really strong ride by the two of them.
04:34As they approached, Schwerbisch hail for the first time.
04:37A massive crowd out on a Thursday afternoon,
04:40and the town mayor himself getting to ring the Tour de France bell, no less, on the finish line.
04:45Big crowd on the rise to the line.
04:48The riders seeing it for the first time, and they had one 12-kilometre clockwise lap
04:52going over the river Kocha to bring this one home.
04:55And trust me, this finale was fascinating as well.
04:59Kelderman and the young Frenchman Theo Ebert brought back,
05:02but then we had this very steep climb in the middle of the final lap,
05:06which had bonus seconds available at the top as well.
05:09It was Matthias Wadzeck the first to go.
05:11In fact, it looked like he was riding clear.
05:13But then came Louis Barre in the colours of Visma Lisa bike in the yellow.
05:17Who had Barre got with him?
05:18Must be one of the best climbers, surely.
05:19Well, it was none other than Paul Manier in the green jersey.
05:23Probably the best sprinter in this race, in fact, arguably so.
05:27And Paul Manier is so often the man that people claim can't climb.
05:30I think he reminded us today he definitely can.
05:33But Louis Barre is fresh from winning a hilly stage in the Tour de Bologna,
05:37and he put Paul Manier right on the ropes.
05:39Paul Manier doing his best to stay with him.
05:41But as they came towards the rise to the finish line,
05:44it was Louis Barre riding clear and really kicking away from Paul Manier.
05:48He had to do this because Manier would have been very good at beating him in the sprint
05:53if they come to the finish together.
05:54Manier being caught by the next group, but I have to say he did well to hang on.
05:58Isaac Del Toro in the race leader's jersey knew he had to defend for himself.
06:03But Louis Barre had already done enough.
06:06The Frenchman rounding in on his second professional victory in quick order
06:10after that Tour de Bologna stage win and in front of a massive crowd at Swerbisch-Hale.
06:16It was a wonderful moment for the Frenchman.
06:18And with that win, he took over the race lead.
06:21What would happen behind?
06:22A fantastic sprint between Nataniel Tesfasion, Giulio Ciccone,
06:26and the race leader Isaac Del Toro.
06:28Del Toro just getting second place and those six bonus seconds.
06:33Mark Hirschi in between the two groups.
06:36Yeah, it's nice when you see the start list.
06:39It's for sure it's a really good victory.
06:43But I knew I had really good legs when I arrived here.
06:46I'm really happy to win today and to beat the...
06:50That name's a really strong rider, so it's really nice.
07:05So Louis Barre with his second professional victory
07:08and with the 10 second bonus on the line,
07:10he was looking at the blue leader's jersey.
07:14There it was, the stage result.
07:15He took Del Toro still right there, 16 seconds behind the Frenchman.
07:20Louis Barre took over the race lead and will hold it into stage two, day three.
07:25There's the move as Del Toro down one,
07:27but Ciccone and Zambanini with a fantastic sprint there.
07:30The Italians, three Italians snapping at the heels
07:32of a Mexican and a top-flying Frenchman.
