Moreno Hofland had hoped to wash away the bitter aftertaste of the opening stage during Tuesday's second stage of the Eneco Tour, but he only left the finish in Breda unsatisfied. Less than thirty kilometres from his home, the Roosendaal-born rider could only muster 17th.

“I can do it, but today it just didn’t work,” Hofland said. “Jos van Emden, Robert Wagner and Tom Leezer are strong lead-out men, but we lost each other in the final kilometres. We need to do better. Tomorrow we get another chance. We’ll keep trying.”

Hofland got boxed-in on the final straight in Breda, just like the day before. “With five kilometres to go, I was right behind the train of Lotto-Soudal, but because riders were moving up to the front thanks to a bike path next to the road, I lost a lot of places. After that, I couldn’t find my way back to the front again.”

André Greipel of Lotto-Soudal won the stage, and Jasper Asselman (Roompot Oranje Peloton) overtook the lead due to bonus seconds he picked up in the Golden Kilometre.

Nico Verhoeven
“The stage unfolded as expected, it was a day like yesterday,” Sports Director Nico Verhoeven said. “Sky helped to keep the break in-check because Elia Viviani wore the white jersey. The chase was relatively easy because the breakaway consisted of only two riders. Our sprint was not good enough.”

Ardooie
Wednesday’s stage starts in Beveren, Belgium, and has it’s been in the past few years, the finish line is painted in Ardooie. “We’ve finished here several years in a row," Verhoeven said. "We know the final local lap, and I expect another hectic sprint. The wind can also make a difference during the stage, as the wind will probably increase tomorrow.”