Groenewegen keeps improving, taking second in the Tour de France’s Pau stage
After his third place in stage 10, Dylan Groenewegen sprinted to second behind Marcel Kittel in stage 11 of the Tour de France in Pau today. Chris Froome keeps the lead in the overall classification, in which Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s George Bennett sits 10th place.
An adjustment in the sprint train almost brought Team LottoNL-Jumbo success. Groenewegen considered it a “strong” team effort.
“Everyone had his part and rode well,” Groenewegen said. “We got a long way and I was dropped off in perfect position. I was in Kittel’s wheel, but he just a bit stronger.”
The sprints in the Tour are chaotic. None of the teams were able to run out a textbook train. Team LottoNL-Jumbo decided to choose another tactic. Robert Wagner swapped positions with Timo Roosen and Groenewegen tried to anticipate Kittel by starting his sprint earlier.
“But Kittel did just the same," Groenewegen said. "Normally somebody loses a little bit of speed, but Kittel did not lose speed. He is the strongest at this moment and we have to hope a makes a mistake.”
“Timo is slightly different than Robert Wagner,” Sports Director Nico Verhoeven explained. “He did a good job today. As a result of that, Dylan was in the right place, right in the wheel of Kittel."
“In contrast to yesterday, Dylan could ride his own sprint. If you are as young as he is, and you finish in third and second place in the Tour de France, you are world-class.”
From 2016, Team LottoNL-Jumbo has been working on its sprint train project with Groenewegen. Its ambition was to win a stage in the 2018 Tour de France, but after last year’s Tour, the hope turned to 2017.
The Dutch sprinter, who has already won five times this year, might be able to snatch a stage win this year. The second and third places in the last two stages reinforce the team’s confidence.
“We were in the right place very early,” Timo Roosen said. “And we had the power to keep that position."
“We wanted to try something different. In the final, it is not always possible to do a good lead-out and sometimes you just have to get Dylan in the right wheel. We know he is able to win, if everything goes as it should."
“Dylan is not so much weaker than Kittel. Kittel can make a mistake once like coming from too far back or having to brake. Hopefully that happens in this Tour and then everything is possible for us.”
