“It was a good day, but also a bad day”, said Swinkels. “We lost Coryn. It’s a bummer to start a multi-day race like this.” It was not the only crash in the flat first stage. Due to their involvement in another crash, Riejanne Markus and Noemi Rüegg could not join the breakaway.

“There was a lot of wind which makes you fight for your place”, Swinkels said about the moment of the crash. “In the end, we had three riders in the front and decided to continue. Many teams had mixed feelings about it because the classification riders were in the group behind.”

Swinkels won the sprint for the polka dot jersey and came second in Lelystad, just behind Lorena Wiebes. “I am happy with this result. It’s my first World Tour podium. You don’t easily become second. Lorena is super fast, so this was the highest achievable. Let’s say we’re the best of the rest.”

Swinkels was very optimistic about the days to come. “We are currently high in the standings. Friday will be a tough day with many altimetres. The time trial on the weekend is very technical and that suits me. Anything is still possible. It’s difficult to imagine a race like this.”