Team LottoNL-Jumbo misses out on top 3 at national championships
Moreno Hofland rode to fifth at the Dutch national championship road race as the sprinter missed the top three in a rainy race finale in Emmen. Bert-Jan Lindeman was in the breakaway the whole day, but neither was able to stop winner Niki Terpstra. Tom Van Asbroeck, meanwhile, finished seventh in the Belgian national championship.
“It was an exciting day”, sports director Jan Boven said after the Dutch race. “It was quiet for a long time, which wasn’t bad for us, because we were convinced that we had a strong man in the breakaway with Bert-Jan.” Lindeman shared that feeling as well. “When we made it until the end, I was convinced that I would be able to win”, he added. “I was born in this area and I know the roads, so it was nice to be part of the breakaway. In the end, I was riding to win the race and I’m fed up with the fact that it didn’t succeed. I really want to become champion one day, and I was able to go for my own chances today. In the end, I had to gamble, but we slowed down. At that point, we had to focus on Moreno’s chances.”
Crash
“Bert-Jan tried to escape from the other breakaway riders several times”, Boven explained. “When it was clear that he wasn’t able to distance them, he had to keep quiet to assure that Moreno was going to be in good position for the sprint. That didn’t turn out the way we wanted to. Our guys were burned up five kilometres from the finish, so we came up short in the finale. Dennis van Winden crashed with two kilometres to go, just when Moreno was on his wheel. That also wasn’t good for Moreno’s position.”
Push hard
Hofland was frustrated by that crash. “I was close, but at the same time, far from winning”, he concluded. “Because of Dennis’s crash, I lost contact with the first five. I had to push hard to return to the front, and that proved decisive. A gap had formed and I had to close it by myself, so I already rode my sprint at that point.”
Confidence
In Belgium, Van Asbroeck finished seventh behind winner Preben Van Hecke in a tough race that saw Sep Vanmarcke also ride a good finale as well. “It went well”, Van Asbroeck said after the race. “It was harder than I expected. It’s a good sign that I was so close. I won the bunch sprint. When you look at that, it’s a pity that we didn’t sprint for the win, but this performance gives me a lot of confidence.”
