Loe van Belle was forced to abandon before the team time trial because he was severely affected by his accident on the first day of the stage race. "It's particularly brilliant that the boys were able to clinch the win with one rider less”, sports director Sierk Jan de Haan said. "We crossed the finish line with five men. Everyone contributed to this great win."

De Haan was thrilled with his team's eighth season victory, especially because some of the riders were participating in their first team time trial in competition. "It was a new experience for some. They also were crucial to our success on this challenging and beautiful course. It gives a lot of confidence for the future."

The second stage on day two of the French stage race was initially supposed to take the riders over the Tourmalet, but the col was cancelled at the last minute due to heavy snowfall. "As a result, stage 2b became a stage of only 25 kilometres. That is very unusual. We needed to be focused right away more than ever. The riders finished within an hour. Johannes did not give his competitors for the general classification even an inch of room while Archie Ryan was successfully pursuing a breakaway. We learned today that this peloton contains several skilled climbers, so we must remain vigilant to maintain the jersey. We will make a good plan for tomorrow to succeed at that."