Lidl Trek led two riders to victory in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Sunday. Quinn Simmons was caught by the peloton in the final kilometer, while Nathanael Tesfagion was beaten by Lawrence Pitti (Groupama-FDJ) in a group sprint in Geelong.

In the Tour Down Under, Bauke Mollema's best result was a ninth-place finish on the final stage, but in the past week, the American team returned to the cutting edge of racing and set the agenda for the last 30 km.

It would have been a perfectly executed game plan if not for Pitti's incredible last sprint. Nevertheless, a great performance by the young riders and the best result at the World Tour level for Tesfagion was especially important for the 24-year-old Eritrean, who is in his contract year.

"It's no secret that I was disappointed with the Santos Tour Down Under results. There were some good performances, but something was missing at the end of the week. So I am very happy to have achieved this result here," Tesfagion said via press release.

"Coming into the race, I had a plan. I wanted to race hard on the circuit and my job was to be part of a small group sprint. Thanks to the way we raced as a team, we were able to execute our plan almost perfectly."

"Sometimes it is difficult to get second place with such a small margin, but I am happy with this result and performance for myself and the team.

The U.S. team's intentions for the finale were clear when Czech national champion Matthias Vacek led Simmons into the base of the Charambra Crescent climb.

Juan Pedro Lopez led the Lidl Trek, forcing Jayco Aroura and Israel Premier Tech to chase in the last 22 km.

After surviving the final reps on Charambra Crescent and Melville Avenue, Simmons and Vacek broke away from the lead pack 3.8 km from the finish to take the glory.

The lighter Archie Ryan (EF-Education Easy Post) was unable to close the gap, reducing the distance between the two bikes to 5 meters.

It could have been the day of the American champion had not the Israeli Premier Tech team, brimming with confidence from their victory at the Tour Down Under, tried to chase down the Stars and Stripes.

The winner, Stephen Williams, made the final pull, ending Simmons' dream of his first World Tour win. But when Mollema made his final effort, Tesfagion was in ideal position and ready to sprint.

After Strong stalled, the Eritrean took the lead; the two waited for photos and official results, but Tesfagion knew the day belonged to the Kiwi, not him.

"I knew he beat me. I waited for the results, but I knew he beat me. I was going to start my sprint at 150 meters, but I started at 250 meters... I was going to start my sprint at 150 meters, but I went at 250 meters... I knew he was going to beat me... I knew he was going to beat me... I knew he was going to beat me." But it's a great result for me and for the team."

Tesfagion added a second place here to his second place in the Down Under Criterium before the Tour. Simmons' talent has been well known since his days as a junior world champion, and his first World Tour win, though missed again today, seems to be just around the corner with his ability to hold off late attacks.