Danny van Poppel didn’t manage to battle with the sprinters in the last bunch sprint of Tirreno-Adriatico. In the stage from Numano to Fano he finished in twelfth position. Bennett is still ninth overall with tomorrow’s closing time trial left.

Team LottoNL-Jumbo controlled today’s stage and kept the lead of the breakaway under control. This all happened without Robert Wagner. The leadout rider for Van Poppel abandoned the stage after 40 kilometres due to illness.

Sports-director Jan Boven saw how today’s efforts weren’t rewarded with a good result, but he was happy with the way the entire team had worked during the stage. “We knew it was going to be a difficult stage”, he said. “We agreed beforehand to go for a sprint with Danny and therefore we controlled the stage to get him in the best possible position. It was a very hectic final with a few crashes, but we managed to get through them unscathed. On a day like today, you really have to be super good to make the difference and today we were not strong enough.”

“Tomorrow there is another chance”, Boven continued. “With Jos van Emden and Primoz Roglic we have two guys who can do well in the time trial in San Benedetto del Tronto. For Bennett it is an important day too with regard to the overall standings.”