Max Walscheid: "I also had a good build-up to this period"

Cofidis' Max Walscheid was in the spotlight today by finishing second place in the Nokere Koerse. Despite loosing his sprinter edge in the last few years, the German heavyweight has shown serious power today as he contested the final sprint with Tim Merlier.

“He started early, while I wanted to wait a little longer. Once Tim went it was all out, but that sprint of 350 meters from him was impressive. When he passed me, I knew he had the momentum. I gave everything, but it was impossible to get him back," Walscheid said in a post-race interview. After a rough race where Walscheid was part of the attackers, he still had the legs in the sprint, where he finished second. He was the only rider to be close to Tim Merlier at the finale, getting his biggest result of the season.

“During the race I was also active, because I was in good shape after Paris-Nice. I also had a good build-up to this period. I was hoping it would be a little faster along the way, but it was good for me now too," he added.

"I will ride almost all the classics in the coming weeks. I might skip a tough race like the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, but I hope to get good results in races like Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Scheldeprijs, and the GP de Denain and Bredene Koksijde Classic in the coming days.” Walscheid is starting a busy classics period. Tomorrow he will be at the start of the GP de Denain, and in two days the Bredene Koksijde Classic. He will be riding a full cobbled classics campaign later on in the spring.