Sam Watson secured key bonus seconds to maintain second place overall at the Deutschland Tour, remaining tantalisingly close to the overall lead.
The Brit was set up expertly by his INEOS Grenadiers teammates on the approach to the final intermediate sprint in Stuckenberg. Geraint Thomas strung out the bunch before Artem Shmidt led out Watson as the road ramped upwards.
Second in the sprint to Wout Van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) yielded two seconds, but with the general classification so close, the larger bonificiations on the finish line would prove to be key.
Third place for Danny van Poppel (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) elevated him into a narrow lead. The Dutchman sits on the same overall time as both Watson and stage victor Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike). Watson moved into the white Young Rider’s jersey following the finish.
AJ August spent the day in a four-man breakaway, ensuring the team were able to sit back and conserve energy until the finale
Over at Renewi Tour Ben Turner once again mixed it up in the battle for intermediate sprints and the final kick into Ardooie. The Brit finished just outside the top 10 on the day, with Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike) taking the victory.
