Team NetApp-Endura stamped their authority on the Dutch one-day race Ronde van Drenthe by taking the first three positions. Swede Alexander Wetterhall completed an impressive solo effort to take the win ahead of teammates Markus Eichler and Andreas Schillinger.

People say that bad luck never comes alone. The same is certainly the case for success as the German pro continental Team NetApp-Endura learned today. After struggling to get their first victory all season they finally succeeded today in the Ronde van Drenthe, and they even ended up sweeping the podium for good measure.

The victory was taken by young Swede Alexander Wetterhall who escaped solo from an earlier breakaway. He was chased by teammate Markus Eichler and Danny Van Poppel (Vacansoleil-DCM) who were later joined by another NetApp-Endura rider Andreas Schillinger and Van Poppel's Vacansoleil colleague Wesley Kreder. Known as a strong time triallist, Wetterhall held off the charge to take the first victory of his career.

In the sprint for second Eichler was superior, and Schillinger narrowly held off Kreder to make the clean sweep of the podium a reality. Home team Vacansoleil had to settle for fourth and fifth.

The race was held on an almost completely flat course, but 5 passages of the man-made climb Vamberg - the last with 13,2 km left was expected to challenge the riders. Furthermore, cobbles, wind and narrow roads were part of this typical Dutch race.

The race often ends in a sprint, and many of the big teams had brought some of their fast finishers to go for the victory. Vacansoleil looked to Kenny Van Hummel, Lotto-Belisol to Frederique Robert, Euskaltel to Jon Aberasturi, Juan Jose Lobato, Steffen Radochla and Alexander Serebryakov, Blanco to Theor Bos and Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox to Sacha Modolo for success in the expected bunch.

In the end they were all foiled by treacherous weather conditions which turned an expected easy ride into an affair for hard men. Wetterhall proved to be the strongest of those, and his German team will savour their very rare result tonight.