Jos van Emden and Wilco Kelderman finished respectively second and third in the Dutch time trial Championship. Kelderman lost his title to Tom Dumoulin (Giant - Alpecin). Steven Lammertink finished fourth, Koen Bouwman seventh.

In the 50-kilometre championship around Middelharnis, Jos van Emden lost 34 seconds on winner Dumoulin. “I’m satisfied with that,” Van Emden said. “I’ve delivered a good time trial. I only struggled during the final five kilometres, but I’m not disappointed about it.”

Trainer Mathieu Heijber was satisfied as well with Van Emden’s performance. “Jos did a good job,” he added. “He prefers shorter time trials, but he was able to hold a steady pace until the final five kilometres. Wilco Kelderman performed well, too. He came out of the Tour de Suisse, but still reached the top three another time.”

Neo-professional

Behind the top three, the young Team LottoNL-Jumbo riders showed off as well. “Steven Lammertink rode surprisingly well,” Heijboer continued. “It’s great that he finished fourth as a neo-professional on such a long time trial. Koen Bouwman did a great job as well considering the same thing. He came out the Tour de Suisse, as well.”

“I’ve been ill and wasn’t able to finish the Criterium du Dauphiné,” Lammertink said. “That’s why I started this time trial relatively easy. I was able to hold on to a steady pace and it felt good. I wasn’t able to deliver more than this. It was the first time that I did such a long time trial and I have to be satisfied with this fourth place.”

Pain

Even for Bouwman it was the first time that he rode such a long time trial. “During the race, I didn’t feel comfortable,” the youngster added. “I lost my focus for a while halfway into my performance. In the final part, I was able to set a steady pace. I’m barely able to stand on my feet because of the pain right now. This was a beautiful experience to learn from.”

Last year’s Dutch champion Wilco Kelderman was focussing on his wattage during the first part of his time trial and had to turn up his speed in the second part. “Then it started to hurt,” he said. “It went well, but not superb. Yesterday, I felt that I wasn’t completely recovered from the Tour de Suisse. I still delivered a good time trial and I’m happy to finish third.”