Team Jumbo-Visma recognizes Van der Poel as winner and has to settle for places of honour
Team Jumbo-Visma has had to settle for the bronze medal at the Dutch National Championship. On the course around the VAM mountain, Timo Roosen, Pascal Eenkhoorn and Jos van Emden crossed the line behind winner Mathieu van der Poel as the number three, four and five respectively.
Sports director Arthur van Dongen’s yellow-black brigade started the championship with nine riders. From the start there was a big battle in the peloton. The strong wind, the heavy rain and the heavy course contributed to this. The Team Jumbo-Visma riders attacked several times, but they never got much space. The supreme Van der Poel started a solo at about forty kilometres from the finish and crossed the finish line alone in the Drentse Wijster.
"The best has won, that seems clear to me. For me it is nice to be on the podium."
“It was a very fair race. The course was grueling and very tough. We did everything we could to create a surplus situation”, Roosen said. “There was nothing that could be done about Van der Poel. Pascal tried several times to follow in his wheel. That was very brave. We tried everything, but this was the best we could do. I don’t think we can blame ourselves. The best has won, that seems clear to me. For me it is nice to be on the podium. On the last climb we decided among ourselves who would be third.”
Sports director Van Dongen endorses the words of his rider. “Van der Poel was great. He deserved to win.“
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