Team LottoNL-Jumbo has had a tough day today in the hills of Limburg Mergelland. With a battered team, a top ranking wasn’t possible. Enrico Battaglin attacked in the final, but his attempt failed, though he still crossed the finish line as the best-ranked rider of Team LottoNL-Jumbo.

Not everyone made it to the finish. Tom Leezer, Daan Olivier, Sepp Kuss and Lars Boom abandoned the race early. In addition, Stef Clement crashed hard. He managed to finish the race, but he suffered heavy abrasions and a painful hip.

Sports director Sierk Jan de Haan knew that he hadn’t traveled to Eijsden with the strongest possible team. "Still, you hope, even for the boys themselves, that they will exceed expectation. Lars Boom, for example, hadn’t competed for a while and he had a hard time today." Boom was struggling at the back of the peloton. He had to let go several times and returned just as often. After one hundred fifty kilometres he abandoned the race.

"After that, we played a significant role with Clement and Battaglin, but at that moment, the breakaway was already too far away to participate for the win. It wasn’t the attitude, but the boys are not machines. When the body resists, the race is destroyed", De Haan said.