Frans Maassen wasn’t completely satisfied after his riders weren’t able to finish in the front in the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco's third stage, but on the other hand, the sports director knew that he couldn’t really expect great things from his young team in the tough 171-kilometre ride from Vitoria-Gasteiz to Zumarraga.

A group of four led the race for a long time on Wednesday, but the eight categorised climbs ultimately proved to be too much for the attackers.

GC rider Joaquim Rodriguez of Katusha claimed the win. Colombian Sergio Henao of Sky finished second and took over the overall lead from Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEDGE).

Frans Maassen
“I did not expect that our young men would climb up with the big names today, but of course that’s what you would like to see,” said Maassen.

"With Robert Gesink, Laurens ten Dam and Paul Martens, we could have gotten in the mix, but we miss them this week unfortunately. Especially for the youngsters it’s tough, they learn the hard way here. The stage was super heavy today, and that is also the case in the coming days. For them it is all about gaining hardness and learning. The weather makes it extra rough, but I’m glad everyone reached the line properly today.”

George Bennett
George Bennett led Team LottoNL-Jumbo home on Wednesday, finishing 52nd. Maassen hopes that the New Zealander, who moved up to 55th overall, can do a little bit better on Thursday.

“Tomorrow we face a traditional Basque Country stage. We finish on a climb that we visit every year. It’s a decisive stage for the overall riders. I hope George can get closer than today, I think he’s capable.”