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grenke - Auto Eder celebrates double victory at the GP Les Franqueses
Julius Løvstrup Birkedal wins the Gran Premi Les Franqueses ahead of team-mate Enzo Hincapie. A total of six grenke - Auto Eder riders make it into the top eleven.
The 138.5-kilometre race near Barcelona quickly developed into a demanding spring classic. Already in the opening phase, grenke – Auto Eder riders Julius Løvstrup Birkedal (Denmark), Enzo Hincapie (USA) and Josh Johnson (South Africa) broke away from the peloton together with French rider Louis Derome. The quartet worked together perfectly and shaped the race from the front for more than 120 kilometres.
A four-man breakaway group dominated large parts of the race.
© Twila Federica Muzzi
While the peloton never managed to close the gap decisively, the race was ultimately decided within the breakaway. In the finale, Birkedal and Hincapie managed to distance their companions and secured an impressive one-two finish in the first UCI race of the season for grenke – Auto Eder. Birkedal crossed the line after 3:23:16 hours ahead of Hincapie, while Louis Derome finished third just over a minute behind.
Behind them, the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe U19 squad also delivered a remarkably strong collective performance: Georgs Tjumins (Latvia) finished fourth, Sander Willems (Belgium) took seventh place, Josh Johnson crossed the line in ninth, and Maj Bohak (Slovenia) completed the team’s strong result in eleventh.
Of course I'm very proud to have won the first race of the season. The team was very present throughout the day - both in the peloton and in the breakaway.
“It was a really hard race – the distance and the weather made it one of the toughest races I’ve done so far,” said winner Julius Løvstrup Birkedal after the finish. “Of course, I’m very proud to win the first race of the season. The team was present all day long – both in the peloton and in the breakaway. It was a huge team effort.”
Tim Meeusen, Director of Development at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, was very pleased with the performance of his young riders: “It’s always nice to start the season strongly – and winning is the best way to do that. We controlled the race from the very first kilometre, and I was really impressed by how mature the guys raced and how much responsibility they took on.”
The riders controlled the race and decided it amongst themselves in the end. We were by far the strongest team in the race.
Meeusen particularly highlighted the team’s collective strength: “After ten days at our training camp in Girona, you can really see that this is not just a group of individual talents but a real unit – almost like a family. The riders controlled the race and in the end decided it among themselves. We were by far the strongest team in the race.”
Julius Birkedal and Enzo Hincapie crossing the finish line
© Twila Federica Muzzi
Following this successful start, the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe juniors now turn their attention to the next races. On March 21–22, grenke – Auto Eder will line up in Belgium for the two-day stage race Guido Reybrouck Classic.
