Dylan Groenewegen finished second in the second stage of the Tour de Yorkshire today. In the blue leader’s jersey, Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s sprinter was a tyre’s width too short of Danny van Poppel (Team Sky). Groenewegen holds the overall lead.

Groenewegen and his team-mates led the bunch in the second stage. Tom Leezer started and the team in yellow and black continued for Groenewegen. They put him in the right position for the final sprint. “We controlled the stage tightly and wanted to take the lead again in the final kilometre,” Sports Director Merijn Zeeman said. “We succeeded. That was an impressive performance by the team. In the final sprint, Dylan hesitated for a second and that opened the window for Danny van Poppel.”

Bottles and bars

“I didn’t see the finish well,” Groenewegen explained. “I thought that the finish line was a little bit further. That’s why I hesitated for a moment and the others were able to take a metre’s advantage.

“If you just look at the top speed, I was the fastest again today. The team worked hard for me in front of the bunch and delivered another strong lead-out. That makes it even more disappointing that I didn’t win, but I learn from these moments.

“Tomorrow, we’re going to fight for Steven Kruijswijk and Primoz Roglic. I will bring some bottles and bars for them. After these two days, it’s my turn to pay back their work.”

Convinced

Groenewegen’s team spirit is typical for of the way Team LottoNL-Jumbo approached the first two stages. “Our riders are really improving in this task,” Zeeman added. “We’re paying much attention to that and everyone is getting used to work together more and more. Timo Roosen filled the gap that Tom Leezer’s absence created without any problems today. I enjoyed watching a convinced team.”