Lotto-Jumbo riders earn respect in Richmond
The Team LottoNL-Jumbo riders showed themselves in the World Championships in Richmond, USA. Jos van Emden and Robert Gesink were in the picture with the Dutch team, while Sep Vanmarcke rode an aggressive race with the Belgians and Paul Martens supported his German front men. But no one could stop Peter Sagan (Slovakia) from becoming world champion.
“We did everything we could to make it a beautiful race." Jos van Emden said after the finish. The Dutchman was pushing in front of the peloton for around 150 kilometres and abandoned the race afterwards.
“We previewed the race and made a plan afterwards. We wanted to utilise everyone’s strength, so I had to take matters in my hands in the beginning of the race. It’s part of my job and I really liked giving everything for these men. We had a nice team and the atmosphere was great. This world championships was great.”
Proud
After Van Emden controlled the race, it was time for Robert Gesink and Sep Vanmarcke to do their jobs. They tried to escape several times and made sure that the pace was very high. Paul Martens delivered his part of the plan for the German team to make sure that a big group of riders stayed together until the final lap of the race.
“It’s not about the team you’re in during the rest of the season this week," Martens said. “That’s a little bit strange and unusual, but you see that everyone forgets that he’s riding in a different team normally when the race is on. It’s about the pride you have when you’re riding for your country. We did a good job with the German team. We had to take our responsibilities and take control of the race. Everyone had to push very hard, also because the Dutchmen held the pace that high. It took a lot of energy.”
With only four kilometres to go, Peter Sagan escaped from the group. He soloed to the win the rainbow jersey.
