Late in the evening, Van Baarle rolled down the ramp in Surhuisterveen for his 32-kilometre effort against the clock. The 33-year-old set the fastest time at each intermediate checkpoint but was consistently edged out by Hoole. That trend continued all the way to the finish line.

“I’m more than satisfied with this silver medal”, Van Baarle reflected after the race. “Daan is truly world-class in this discipline, so I’m glad I could push him today. I came out of the Giro d’Italia with a bit of a cold, but I’m content with how I rode.”

Earlier in the day, Lieke Nooijen, Femke de Vries, and Maud Oudeman took on the time trial challenge. For Nooijen, it was her first race of 2025 following a long recovery from a serious injury. The 23-year-old powered her way to a commendable third place. De Vries finished a respectable seventh, while Oudeman captured silver in the U23 category.

Nooijen was clearly pleased with her result. “I’m really happy with this performance. The rehab process has been long and tough. To come back like this makes me very proud. I had a solid winter, but an unfortunate crash set me back. I focused entirely on my recovery and now I’m ready for a strong second half of the season.”

“The conditions weren’t exactly ideal,” said De Vries after her time trial. “But despite that, I actually felt pretty good out there. The numbers I was pushing looked solid, and they gave me a mental boost during the ride. I gave it everything I had, so I’m really happy with my performance.”

The day began with a standout ride from Sjors Lugthart of Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development Team. The 20-year-old put in a strong time trial to secure the bronze medal in his category, finishing behind Diftar riders Rik van der Wal and Pepijn Veenings.

“This went beyond expectations,” said Lugthart. “I rode better than I thought I would beforehand, so I’m really pleased. I’m ending the day with a very good feeling.”