The remaining riders of Team LottoNL-Jumbo have not been able to play a prominent role in the penultimate stage of Paris-Nice. The seventh stage was full of excitement for the GC-riders. Timo Roosen, Paul Martens and Robert Gesink played an ancillary role; the trio missed the escape of the day.

Sports director Nico Verhoeven indicated that he would have liked to see someone in the breakaway of the day, but he realized that cycling races don’t always go as hoped or planned. “It took a long time before a group escaped. When eight good riders got away on the first climb of the day, we were not there, unfortunately. It meant our race was over and we just rolled to the finish.”

Tomorrow is Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s last opportunity to put a cherry on the cake after Dylan Groenewegen’s earlier stage victory. Verhoeven: “Tomorrow, I expect the same scenario. We will just try to be present in the escape again. For now, we are especially pleased with the fact that our remaining riders have finished well. This cold and rain is not the healthiest working climate for them.”