Dylan Groenewegen grabbed the victory in the first stage of the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen today. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s sprinter had to put in some effort in the chase to the breakaway, but kept energy for the final kick.

The difference between Groenewegen and runner-up Van Der Sande seemed big on the finish photograph, but Dylan Groenewegen had to go hard for his stage win in the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen.

“There was a strong breakaway, which we started to chase immediately,” sports director Merijn Zeeman said after the race. “They were caught only just before the final turn and Dylan had to close the gap by himself. His sprint was impressive afterwards. This victory is a show of his mental strength.”

“With two kilometres to go, Robert Wagner crashed,” Groenewegen explained. “From that moment, I had to do it all by myself. There were three riders still in front of the peloton and because I was on the front of the peloton when we caught them, just before the final turn, I decided to start sprinting immediately. I was able to hold the lead fortunately. It’s nice to start the season in a good way, so I wanted to peak early, this season. That’s what I’m doing at the moment and my shape’s getting better every week.”

Dylan Groenewegen’s confidence made Team LottoNL-Jumbo put forth some extra effort already early in the race to catch the break. “Dylan really wants to win and he shows that as well,” Zeeman added. “That is why we decided to let some men chase the peloton who would normally have to save energy for the sprint lead-out. Dylan finished it off afterwards and gave everyone who fought for him a beautiful reward today.”

Robert Gesink wasn’t ashamed of his 22nd place in the end. “It was very hectic,” he said. “It took a lot of power to be in the right position, all the time. I think that it’s good that I did such a hard classic race before my next race in Catalonia.”