Sports director Robert Wagner reflects on the stage. “Two riders escaped right at the beginning. The peloton immediately took control and never let them get more than five minutes ahead. In the final phase, the duo was reeled in,” says the German.

“Everyone on our team had a specific role,” Wagner continues. “We wanted to protect Matthew Brennan and keep him out of the wind. On paper, this was the least challenging stage of this Czech Tour. Therefore, the stage was perfect for a sprint. In my opinion, Matthew is capable of sprinting to a podiumspot in this type of finish.”

The Briton, who will be part of the WorldTour team of the Dutch team next year, ultimately could not position himself at the front. “Unfortunately, we have to conclude that we didn’t get Matthew into a good position. The strengths of the riders we have here aren’t in the flat stages. In the upcoming stages, we want to achieve something with riders like Koen Bouwman, Milan Vader, and Johannes Staune-Mittet,” says Wagner.

Dario Belletta and Tom Gloag made their return to the peloton after a long time. “That is certainly worth mentioning. They both had a good day, both mentally and physically, after being out for a very long time due to injuries,” Wagner concludes.