Germany Review – Day 2
  
  After the Day 1 Proglogue carnival, OCM eyes moved on to Day 2, a day for the sprinters. Stages 2 and 3 contain a few hills but these are usually not significant enough to prevent a mass sprint. After today, the fight for the Green Jersey competition will be much clearer.
  
   Germany Tour trivia
  
  Stage 2: Kiel - Bremen
  
  This stage is notable because the riders almost exclusively use the famous German motorways, the Autobahn. Initially, the riders encounter a few hills left around Kiel by the last ice age’s glaciers to hit the A7 going south to Hamburg. However, the riders do not see much of Germany’s 2nd largest city. They will only get a glimpse of Germany’s largest port with the huge container vessels to their right after they pass the Elbtunnel. This 3.5km long tunnel under the Elbe river is the most notable feature of this stage that continues on the A1 to Bremen, notorious for its present roadworks.
  
  The stage ends behind Bremen’s central station in front of the Milram HQ, most probably with a mass sprint. Bremen is known for the Bremen town musicians and the football club Werder Bremen.
  
  This is the Eli’s favourite stage, as he studied in Kiel, got his PhD in Bremen and was born in Hamburg (all before he joined OCM of course).
  
  Stage 3: Bielefeld – Köln
  
  The

riders transfer by bus to Bielefeld, which is a city most Germans know remarkably little about. Maybe that is because there is so little to tell. Some people do know that food company Dr. Oetker has its HQ here.
  
  The riders encounter a few hills on their nearly direct route to Köln (Cologne) on this stage which will be terminated by a mass sprint in all likelihood. Cologne, German capital for Carnival, gay pride and TV will await the riders with its usual party-mood, which most other Germans do not understand.
  
  The beer in Cologne is called Kölsch and is drunk from pathetically small glasses – however, most Germans do not understand that either.
  
  By Eli
  
   Day 2 Racing News
  
  The fight for Green is now lining up for a two horse race between Kyle Abston (CCFC) and Broderick Rimmer (Equipo Easy On) as the two rivals shared the spoils over Stages 2 and 3.
  
  In the morning stage to Bremen, Abston outsprinted the rest to claim his 4th stage victory at OCM’s premier event. After dominating the Green Jersey competition last year, Abston seemed to have started this season’s Tour as he finished the last, a clear warning that he is in great shape. However, the afternoon’s stage into Cologne saw a slight surprise as Rimmer surprised the Englishman in the last 50 metres and took Stage 3.
  
  The win for Rimmer now gives him 88 points in the SC, a margin of 8 points over Abston. The margin may be small but will encourage the rider from

the Bahamas and, indeed, the rest of the peleton and may dismiss some myths going about that Abston is ‘unbeatable’ in Germany.
  
  Pauli Michielsen (skils) picked up a 3rd and 7th today to lie 3rd in the SC with 57 points. The German home favourite is by no means out of it but will need to beat his rivals in tomorrow afternoon's hilly sprint.
  
  Rimmer will start tomorrow’s morning stage to Frankfurt in Yellow but will do well to hold on to it, as the stage introduces the peleton to its first taste of the mountains. This will be the first stage where the GC favourites are likely to show themselves as time gaps are inevitable. Perhaps more importantly, for the last two years the winner of stage 4 has gone on to win the Tour itself, so tomorrow night’s Racing News will be able to shed some more light on the lightly contenders for this season’s Tour.
  
  Green Jersey standings after Stage 3
  
  1. Broderick Rimmer (Equipo Easy On) 88 points
  2. Kyle Abston (CCFC) 80 points
  3. Pauli Michielsen (skils) 57 points
  4. Urbano Menem (Team Whaler) 41 points
  5. Jens Waeesbergen (Cykilsta) 39 points
  
  For the latest standings and Tour info, please click here