LottoNL-Jumbo team captain Steven Kruijswijk finished fifth in the long and only individual time trial in the Giro d'Italia. Kruijswijk lost only 1-09 minutes to winner Vasil Kiryienka of Team Sky. Alberto Contador finished third to regain the overall lead.

Kruijswijk’s ride wasn’t unexpected. In recent days, the LottoNL-Jumbo leader had several good results and confirmed his form today in the time trial.

Sports Director Jan Boven said, "Steven had shown in recent days that he was doing well. Only four real specialists are in front of him, including one GC rider. You just saw that he was very fast. When in the first 30 kilometres he overtook four riders, we knew he was good."

Team performance
In recent times, LottoNL-Jumbo along with bike sponsor Bianchi and Mathieu Heijboer gave considerable effort and attention to the time trial bike and aerodynamics.

"This is a team effort," explained Boven. "Martijn Keizer, Maarten Tjallingii and Rick Flens all did a good time trial thanks to the work we did. We have put a lot of time in the new Bianchi and tested the position of the riders. This is a direct result of that."   Steven Kruijswijk agreed with Boven and is happy with his result.

"In the weeks up to the Giro, I put a lot of attention into it and spent time with the team for this time trial," the team captain said.

"In the last few days, I had confidence, but this result gives me an extra boost. This is proof that my shape is good, despite the loss of time of eight minutes on that one day. I have fought my way back to the front. I was able to prepare without pressure for this time trial and knew the race would suit me. It’s nice when you pass four riders. The pace was good and I was able to hold this uphill well."

Ambitions
The last week of the Giro is very hard, but Team LottoNL-Jumbo has confidence after this result.

"I'm going to try to win a stage," continued Kruijswijk. "I noticed that I was able to go well uphill. Now it is about finding the right time to attack because I should not wait for Contador and Aru to go for the stage win. The mountain jersey is something that I see as an afterthought. There are still so many points to gain, someone who has no points but who is in the right escape can be king of the mountains in this Giro."  

"Some GC riders received a little slap," said Boven. "Tomorrow is a tough uphill finish. For Steven it’s a day to show that he belongs among the best climbers. The time trail is the impetus for a good last week. We'll just focus and wait for our chance now Contador is back in pink."