Pascal Ackermann came close to victory once again as he sprinted to third place on stage 12 of the Tour de France after being boxed in during the final sprint.
“The team was great all day once again,” Ackermann said after the finish line. “In the final kilometers, Jake was amazing, dropping me off in the perfect position for the sprint.”
“Unfortunately, a rider came from the left to the right side and boxed us in, so I couldn’t start my sprint. It’s a shame because my legs were really good today. Tomorrow is another opportunity, and I’m really eager to get a chance to sprint for the win!”
Today’s third place is the second podium result for Ackermann in the last few days, and sports director Steve Bauer is very optimistic for tomorrow’s expected bunch sprint.
“The boys were really good today. We had a clear plan, and everybody really played their part perfectly. I’m definitely optimistic looking ahead to tomorrow’s stage. However, even though we have been great in the sprints, we still haven’t won, and tomorrow we really want to change that. That’s why we are here, and I believe we can do it.”
