Few riders can say they’ve managed to beat Primož Roglič (Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) in a Vuelta a España summit end and Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Dstny) was on the purpose of doing so at Pico Villuercas on Tuesday.
However as the 23-year-old went underneath the gantries in a small group dash of GC contenders, the proficient younger Belgian racer raised his proper arm only a fraction too quickly, permitting the Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe chief to zip previous on the final minute.
Van Eetvelt was understandably upset about shedding out on the chance to assert his first-ever Grand Tour stage win, within the presence of an elite and massively skilled group of rivals together with Roglić, João Almeida (UAE Group Emirates) and Enric Mas (Movistar). It was no shock, then, that he set free an enormous yell of disappointment as he crossed the road, almost a wheel size behind the stage winner.
However whereas he described his extreme keenness to assert the victory as “form of silly” afterwards, Van Eetvelt additionally recognised that simply by being up there in such prestigious firm, he was taking a giant step in his profession.
“Did I feel I had gained after I made that arm motion? Sure,” he stated to Belgian media with a sigh. “That is one thing you study as a rookie, that it’s important to dash proper to the road, and never earlier than it. I did not sense Roglič was developing, although, so I kind of thought I had the victory.
“What did I really feel? Did you hear me shout? That is what I felt,” he informed one reporter who requested about his sensations when dealing with such a slender defeat.
It was, he stated with a categorical refusal to beat across the bush, “a form of silly factor to do, however there might be extra alternatives.”
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Definitely, Van Eetvelt’s capability to stay with Roglič all the best way to the summit, the one rider to take action, alongside Mas, might hardly fail to impress as an indication of his potential to go for extra wins quickly. Others like Almeida, Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Mikel Landa (T-Rex Fast-Step) solely regained contact with the trio of leaders after the steepest section of the climb, however Van Eetvelt dug deep to remain in contact with the 2 high performers of the day.
“For certain, I will be very happy with the shape I had and with how the race went as we speak,“ Van Eetvelt stated. “If I had been crushed another way, it will even have been a very nice outcome, however now it hurts a bit. I feel in a few days I will be happy with this outcome, too.”
Van Eetvelt additionally missed out narrowly on taking the chief’s jersey within the Greatest Younger Rider’s classification, too, the place he’s nonetheless three seconds behind Bahrain Victorious racer Antonio Tiberi. However general the indicators might hardly be higher for a rider who already gained his first WorldTour stage race this season, the UAE Tour, largely because of a victory within the nation’s hardest climb, the Jebel Hafeet.
A latest third place within the Clásica San Sebastian supplied additional indications that Van Eetvelt is on type, regardless of a nagging knee damage inflicting him issues. And given the Vuelta is usually a race which acts as fertile floor for brand new younger expertise to shine, after Villuecas, the Belgian can already be stated to type a part of that custom.
“I got here right here for the GC and that is good affirmation of my situation, it can give me and the group confidence to go for it within the Vuelta,” added Van Eetvelt, fifth general in simply his second Grand Tour.
“After all I even have a bitter feeling proper now. However there are nonetheless loads of days to return and in the event you see the place I’m within the rankings. I can solely be blissful.”
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