"When Pavel Sivakov dropped his bomb, I knew I had to be with him" - Ilan Van Wilder says about his first professional victory

He finally succeeded: Ilan Van Wilder has taken his first professional victory, after he came out strongest in the first stage of the Deutschland Tour.

"I am especially very happy with this," says Van Wilder. "In Algarve I was already close to it, but I celebrated too early and I was beaten on the line. That was a very big disappointment."

That is precisely why Van Wilder did not want to make any mistakes today. "And I didn't. I rode a very good sprint. Finally I got my first pro victory, and I am very happy with that."

However, it would be a sprinter's stage, as was predicted in advance. "But there was a very high pace in the last forty kilometers. Many teams wanted to ride off the sprinters. I wouldn't attack right away, I wanted to follow the attacks. But when Pavel Sivakov dropped his bomb, I knew I had to be with him."

The right move, as it turned out. "Felix Großschartner came back, and so we were with three strong engines. It was really good cooperation up front, no turns were missed. That was the ideal recipe to stay ahead."