De Plus retains his third place in the overall standings. With his strong time trial, he took a few precious seconds back on his closest competitors Tim Wellens and Marc Hirschi, ahead of the tough final stage in Geraardsbergen. Teunissen moved up to sixth place.

Jos van Emden said he could live with his third place. “It was a good time trial and I am satisfied with that. I have been beaten by a younger generation, who have the future ahead of them in this discipline. The feeling was good and I felt that I was battling for the podium, but those two young riders just were faster. It was really cool to ride my first time trial in the national jersey in front of my own audience. That certainly gave me extra motivation.”

“This was a very good time trial”, De Plus said. “Jan coached me well from the car and I knew exactly what was coming. Of our team, Jos was one of the first riders to start, so he was able to give me a lot of valuable tips. I started fast, but after the turning point there was a lot of headwind. I continued to fight until the finish and I am happy with the result and the seconds I gained. Tomorrow, we will try to finish on the overall podium and who knows what else is in store for us.”