Ion Izagirre makes a race of it in Hamburg

Ion Izagirre showed he's still going strong after a race-heavy season by going on the offensive in the Vattenfall Cyclassics in Hamburg, Germany on Sunday.

The youngest of the brothers has been racing virtually all year, starting way back in January at the Tour Down Under, but showed no signs of fatigue as he jumped from the pack along with a dangerous-looking group on the penultimate ascension of the Waseberg. It wasn't to be, though, as the sprinters' teams weren't going to let the opportunity of a WorldTour win slip away from them.

Eventually home riders John Degenkolb and André Greipel took first and second.

Another Euskaltel rider who made his presence felt was Garikoitz Bravo. The first-year rider on the WorldTour circuit is on the lookout for a new team, like all his team-mates, and decided to form part of the day's main break to put his name out there. His reward? The intermediate sprints prize.

Results:

• (1, John Degenkolb (Argos) 5:45:16)
• 31, Juan José Lobato, 0:03
• 38, Adrián Sáez, 0:05
• 59, Romain Sicard, 0:09
• 60, Miguel Mínguez, s.t.
• 67, Rubén Pérez, 0:10
• 115, Gorka Izagirre, 1:08
• 139, Ion Izagirre, 7:00
• 147, Garikoitz Bravo, 11:38

Photo: BCPT