Timo Roosen finished seventh today in the Ronde van Zeeland Seaports. The 22-year-old Team LottoNL-Jumbo rider, who just started his first season as a professional, was one of only 20 riders who finished the race out of 140 starters this morning in Terneuzen.

Mike Teunissen also managed to reach the finish line. The Dutchman, just as Roosen in his first few months as a professional cyclist, slotted into 19th place.
 
The peloton was plagued by rain and wind on the Zeeland roads on Saturday. Moreover, the course included twelve cobbled sections totalling ten kilometres.
 
Pretty tough
"Yes, it was a pretty tough race,” Roosen said with a sense of understatement. “The conditions were really extreme at some points. I was almost blown away by the wind a couple of times. The cobblestones were really slippery, but when I tried to ride on the side of the road, I was slipping away, as well.”
 
Confidence
Roosen knew what he had to do during the race. “Watch the Etixx-Quick Step riders. After thirty kilometres, there was an open spot where some echelons were formed. Luckily, I managed to make it into the first one. Unfortunately, I was too far behind in the group when Iljo Keisse and his two team-mates took off. However, I still leave the race with a lot of confidence.”
 
Merijn Zeeman
Sports Director Merijn Zeeman was proud of his youngsters after the race. “As first-year pros they both have done very well. They fought bravely in a truly gruelling race.”
 
Virus
Nick van der Lijke, born in Zeeland, couldn’t bring what he had hoped to bring in his home race. The young Dutchman started the race a bit sick and had to abandon halfway through. Brian Bulgac wasn’t able to start the race at all because of illness.
 
"This virus continues to intervene, but we have to deal with it,” said Zeeman. “We can’t do much about it. Hopefully, things get better when the weather improves.”