Max Walscheid narrowly missed his second victory at the Münsterland Giro after 2018. After 205.9 kilometers on the Schlossplatz in Münster, the 29-year-old finished third in the mass sprint behind the Dutch winner Olav Kooij and the Belgian Jasper Philipsen.

The sprint stars Sam Bennett (Ireland), Fabio Jakobsen and Dylan Groenewegen (both Netherlands) followed in places five to seven. Meanwhile, two-time Giro d'Italia stage winner Pascal Ackermann had to end his hopes of victory with just over five kilometers to go when he was delayed by a fall.

"I waited all day for this sprint. In the end I had enough space. It's a good season for me," said the only 20-year-old Kooij after his twelfth win of the season, emphasizing: "It's nice to have some of the world's best sprinters to hit." A few years ago, Kooij was one of the top talents in Dutch speed skating. In 2019 he became runner-up in the juniors over 3000 meters.

This year's race featured top-class participants. Ten WorldTour teams started in Telgte that morning. After all, for some racing teams in the fight against relegation it was still about important points for the world rankings.