With Cian Uijtdebroeks and Kuss, Team Visma | Lease a Bike hopes to aim high in the general classification this week. The latter gives a comment about the first stage after coming in. "It was quite a tough day. This allowed us to get into the rhythm nicely. As a team, we were there when it mattered. Personally, I feel in good shape. I'm really looking forward to the mountain stages this week. There are quite a few of those coming up”, Kuss stated.

"On paper it wasn't the most challenging day of the week”, Uijtdebroeks says. “However, it was nonetheless a very hectic day. The main goal for Sepp and me was not to avoid unnecessary time loss. Thanks to the team’s effort, we managed to achieve that. In the finale, the pace picked up, and I felt that my legs were in great shape. That bodes well for the upcoming days."

Team Visma | Lease a Bike also faced a setback in the opening stage. Bart Lemmen crashed and was forced to abandon the race. "Bart unfortunately had a crash during the race. He has broken his collarbone and was immediately taken to the hospital.," sports director Marc Reef concludes.