The riders rode the nearly thirty-kilometre course in the province of Drenthe in warm and sunny conditions. Jos van Emden got off to an early start and set the bar high for the other favourites, who started later. Dumoulin already conceded time to eventual winner Mollema at the first intermediate point and failed to make up for the lost time.

"I do feel bummed and disappointed about this", said an honest Dumoulin. "It just wasn't good enough to win. After my abandonment in the Giro I took a lot of rest. I hoped that would help. Due to my back problems, I couldn't prepare the way I wanted to, so I came up short today. Of course I would have liked to win that fifth title."

"The start didn't go smoothly because the starter didn't hold me properly. That made me fall over and I needed some time to get into the rhythm, but of course you don't miss out on the jersey because of that little incident", the former world time trial champion said.

"There's nothing wrong with my motivation because I'm focused on the upcoming races. I want to finish the season and my career in a good way. At the world championships in Australia I really want to go for it again. I'm still giving everything to be able to perform at the best of my possibilities."