“We didn’t get it for free. We rode full throttle”, Roosen said about his attack. With 41 kilometres to go, he escaped from a small peloton together with Maciej Bodnar. The two worked together well and quickly gained a lead of more than one minute. “Bodnar wanted to go for his classification and I wanted to go for the stage victory.”

Still, they weren’t able to sprint for the victory in Sittard. With thirteen kilometres to go, the duo got accompanied by Yves Lampaert, Jasper Stuyven and Tim Wellens. “I thought we would make it with the five of us, but the peloton kept going. When we were taken back, following was the only thing we could do.”

The route towards the finish didn’t help, according to Roosen. “The roads made it difficult to stay in front. There was a lot of wind and there were sloping roads. You never really got the time to give your legs a rest.”

Sports director Jan Boven liked the action of Roosen and saw that the team was riding well at that moment. “In the pre-final, we were with five men in the first group of sixty. Then Roosen tried it and he got an ideal companion in Bodnar. Timo showed himself well there, because there was a possibility that they would have stayed away.”

Boven is looking forward to the final stage in Geraardsbergen. “We have to make sure again that we try to go before the final and try to get the best out of it.”

The attacker of today, Roosen, is also looking forward to the Flemish final stage. “I’ve lost much power today, but it wasn’t easy for anyone. I like cobblestones and those climbs are also good, so I’m going for it again.”