A crash by Antwan Tolhoek in the last ten kilometres of the first stage in the Criterium du Dauphiné has thwarted the plans of Team LottoNL-Jumbo. The crash happened at a crucial moment. Nevertheless, Tolhoek was the first rider of Team LottoNL-Jumbo at the finish, forty seconds behind the winner. Neilson Powless lost half a minute more.

“This is a real pity. Very unfortunate”, Grischa Niermann said in his post-race commentary on this tough and nervous stage. “Just before the final climb, Tolhoek crashed. Sepp Kuss and Lars Boom were waiting for him, because he’s our most important rider here. Neilson was also held up by that crash and had to chase as well. Because they attacked in the front, it was difficult to come back. They gave everything and chased full throttle. In the end, nobody was in the front group and that’s a pity. Fortunately, Antwan doesn’t have any serious injuries. All in all it was a bad day for us. Hopefully better tomorrow.”