The second stage on Dutch soil was a special one, especially for Nooijen. Not only because, as number two in the general classification, she got to wear the green points jersey, but especially because the starting gun was fired in her hometown of Coevorden. After a 155-kilometre ride, the peloton reached the finish in Assen, where the sprint for the day's victory was on.

Veenhoven was well dropped off by her teammates and continued to wait patiently for her chance. In the battle for third place, she was narrowly beaten by Kool. "It was a chaotic race. I expected the wind to play a big factor, but in the end the peloton stayed together", Veenhoven said.

"In the final, the girls did a super good job of keeping me in front and dropping me off well. I chose Lorena's wheel and when she accelerated, I tried to hold on as long as possible. Unfortunately I just finished fourth, but in this field I can definitely be happy with that. It is very cool to compete with these women in such a sprint. I am already looking forward to the next days."

Nooijen, who maintained her second place in the standings, also looks back on a nervous day. "It was very hectic, the wind caused a lot of stress in peloton", she says. "As a team, we rode a good race. We were well matched and were at the front every time it broke. The fact that Nienke eventually finished fourth is super nice."

The youngster expects the same scenario tomorrow. "It will be another tough day. Because there are more open sections, I consider it likely that there will be echelons."