"The best way to finish the race" - Pello Bilbao back to great form after explosive win at Deutschland Tour

Pello Bilbao was initially set to ride the Vuelta a Espana, but with a Grand Tour under his belt already this season, he opted for an alternative calendar, passing through the late-season classics, and by the Deutshland Tour, where he won the final stage.

“A victory was the best way to finish the race. We knew it would be difficult to fight for the overall, as 30 seconds was a big gap for this kind of final circuit. But we were feeling confident in fighting for the stage victory today," Bilbao said in a post-race interview. After riding into second place yesterday at the queen stage, Bilbao had close to secured a strong position in the overall classification. However, in the final day of racing, he was looking for his first win since the Tour of the Alps.  

"I’m not a sprinter, but everybody arrives with tired legs and little energy at the end of races like this. I felt confident, and I just fought for a good position," he added. After the final hilly circuit, only ten riders survived to fight for the win. Bilbao had shown great signs this season when it came to the sprints, and he delivered in the small group sprint.

"I knew the guy from [Intermarché] Wanty (Georg Zimmermann) was fast. I let him take advantage in the last corner, so he could help me to launch the sprint. In the end, I just went, opening the sprint on my own and then sprinting full gas in the last 200m," the Basque detailed. He beat Ruben Guerreiro in the final sprint and secured his second spot in the GC. This was his third win of the season, and the Bahrain - Victorious rider will be searching more in the Canadian classics.