“Yesterday, I just wasn’t strong enough to stay with the best riders at the end, but today it went well”, Kruijswijk said. “I rode a good final, I think. There were several attacks, but I felt good enough to come back, and I succeeded. All climbers are present here. It gives me a good feeling that I can measure myself against them. I also have a strong team around me and that is good to see.”

“Steven was very strong”, sports director Merijn Zeeman said. “He could compete with the Colombian climbers which means he has a very high level. Steven could count on the team for a long time. He got good help from Lennard Hofstede, Sepp Kuss and Floris De Tier in particular. Normally, Antwan Tolhoek would have been there too, but he is struggling with the aftermath of his fall. That is very unfortunate, since this race suits him perfectly.”