"We can be proud of ourselves" - Alpecin-Deceuninck continue winning run with one-three at Volta NXT Classic

Although star duo Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel were absent from the Alpecin-Deceuninck lineup at the Volta NXT Classic, Timo Kielich and Henri Uhlig stepped up and continued the team's winning run this year.

Coming into the finale, Kielich was alongside Pascal Eenkhoorn as the duo fought out for the victory in a two-up sprint for the line. "At that moment I thought: now I just have to jump," Kielich reflected in his post-race interview. "Behind me, in that situation, there were two more teammates to stop things, but it is also true that the chance in a group of two is greater than in a group of eight riders."

With Henri Uhlig winning the sprint for third from the bunch behind, two Alpecin-Deceuninck riders were ensured on the day's final podium. "Our secret? I don't know," Kielich laughs. "But the course is really suitable for racing. That is also what we stand for as a team, to participate in racing and ride offensively."

"We can be proud of ourselves," he concludes. 'We had the race under control the entire time and always had someone in the groups. At the end we were still with three riders out of eight, so as a team we simply rode a very good race."