Dylan Groenewegen had difficulty controlling his emotions after becoming Dutch champion for the second time in Arnhem. According to the Jayco AlUla sprinter, this has to do with the difficult spring.
With the Posbank testing the riders’ legs several times on Sunday and a difficult final lap in Arnhem, it was not the easiest of the national championships, but Groenewegen survived and was able to sprint. “It was a tough race, but in the last kilometer I was so convinced that it would turn out well,” he said in a short interview with WielerFlits after the finish.
Groenewegen also agrees that this route wasn’t exactly his thing, but he managed to get through it. “It wasn’t easy, especially at the beginning of the year. Now I have the jersey for a whole year and will take it with me to the Tour. I trained so hard for it.”
“It was a gamble,” he says, looking back on the race. “At one point there were fifteen people ahead of me and I had to cross with a group on the Posbank. Then Visma | Lease a Bike broke away with two people and everything came back together. The guys did their best to get me into position. After that I was confident it would be a sprint.”
With the Tour de France approaching, Groenewegen can prepare to ride in the champion’s jersey for the first time since his victory in 2016. “It was a difficult start to the year, also because of illness and because I wanted to come back too quickly. I’ve been chasing results for a long time. Winning a stage in the Tour would be great,” he says, looking ahead.
