Pascal Ackermann quickly showed that Bora-Hansgrohe made the right decision to give him their sprinter spot for the Giro d’Italia ahead of Ireland’s Sam Bennett, winning the first mass finish in Fucecchio with impressive show of speed and confidence.
Bennett won three stages in last year’s Giro d’Italia and with Peter Sagan leading the team at the Tour de France he was hoping to return again in 2019. However, the Bora-Hansgrohe management made it clear that 25-year-old Ackermann would get the spot, with his German national champion’s jersey apparently a key factor for the German team.
"It wasn’t easy for the team to decide who should go to the Giro d’Italia but I think they went for me because I’m younger and did some good performances last year," Ackermann said, clearly ecstatic to have won the first Giro d’Italia sprint on his Grand Tour debut.
"I wanted to ride a Grand Tour last year but they made wait because we have a lot of sprinters. This year they gave me the chance but told me that I had to be focussed and in good shape. I hope I’ve paid back the faith the team showed in me.
"My team is 100 per cent behind me and I work 100 per cent for them. I think that’s a good relationship. I’m just happy I can give them something back."
Ackermann couldn’t stop smiling after his stage victory, knowing he had taken some huge scalps by beating Elia Viviani, Caleb Ewan and Fernando Gaviria.
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