After yesterday’s punchy opener, today’s stage was no easier for the Development Team dsm-firmenich PostNL riders. After some up and down in the first half, the race entered a local lap where they took on a punchy hill five times in total. The team raced well together throughout the day and was in a good position on the circuit. While the winner rode to victory with a 30 kilometres solo, Vlad van Mechelen was brought into a nice spot in the chasing bunch and sprinted to a strong third place on the day. With five more stages to come, Vlad sits in a solid fifth place in the general classification.
Speaking after the stage Van Mechelen said: “We had a long and hard day on the menu today. When the break went, the boys got into a perfect position to sit safely in the bunch all day. They brought me into a good position going into the final where the racing was tough. In the end, two guys were up the road, one of which I almost caught in my sprint. We can take confidence out of this result and teamwork for the coming days.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Asbjørn Kragh Andersen added: “Already yesterday we rode with good attention and showed a solid performance. In the evening we did a good evaluation and made a really good plan coming into today. There, we were not talking about the result, but about racing together as a strong unit and showing good teamwork. I am really happy about how we did it today and how we came through the stage as a team. The podium of Vlad is a nice confirmation of what we can do when we do those basic things on a high level.”