Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s Dylan Groenewegen sprinted to victory on today’s opening stage of the Eneco Tour in Bolsward, the Netherlands. The Dutchman beat Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) and World Champion, and new European Champion, Peter Sagan (Tinkoff). Groenewegen, thanks to his victory, took the leader’s jersey and the points jersey.
A breakaway of five riders broke clear early on in the 184.6-kilometre stage. The sprinters’ teams ensured that the break was brought back late on though, and the scene was set for a fast finish. On the large open, straight roads running into the finish, there was a lot of movement in the bunch with numerous sprinters fancying their chances.
“I stayed on the wheel of Robert Wagner, and he kept me out of the wind perfectly,” said Groenewegen. “We continued on the right with the Orica train coming up. I jumped on the wheel of Caleb Ewan, but he was trapped. Nizzolo jumped, and I knew I had to take his wheel and I’d have a clear sprint.
“We worked hard and came to the Eneco Tour to win a stage. It is nice that we immediately succeeded on the first day. We have worked on this sprint train for seven months, but now we win at the highest level against the strongest sprinters. That makes this win special. “
“This is a milestone for Dylan and the team,” Merijn Zeeman, the team’s Directeur Sportif said. “This our first WorldTour win with this sprint train. The long straight road and tailwind made for an unpredictable finish. You don’t want to go too early, but you still have to go. Today, the sprint trains could not organise and tangled constantly. ”
“At one point, I thought Groenewegen sat in a hopeless position, but he battled his way through. He arrived to speed at the right time and then was hard to beat.
“Dylan Groenewegen made another step towards being a top level sprinter. He is became stronger this year and is now in top form.”
