Van Aert again strongest at Heusden-Zolder
Wout van Aert has won at Heusden-Zolder for the third year in a row. On the fast...
Tim van Dijke has finished third in the second stage of the Tour of Luxembourg. The rider of Team Jumbo-Visma was beaten by Jenthe Biermans and Søren Kragh Andersen in a sprint just before the finish.
The peloton left Mondorf-les-Bains on Wednesday morning for the longest stage of the five-day race in Luxembourg. The riders had to deal with heavy showers from start to finish. The men of Maarten Wynants and Jan Boven came through the second stage well. "Everything went as expected today”, Wynants said.
"An early break formed with riders from the smaller teams”, the Belgian continued. "Halfway through the race, the sprinters' teams started to control the race. On the local circuit in Mamer, we wanted to give Tim a chance to sprint. For a moment, it looked like he was going to win.”
"I am happy that the team gave me another chance today"
A few metres from the line, Kragh Andersen and Biermans passed Van Dijke. "Tiesj picked up the pace considerably after the last roundabout. Up to that point, it was crazy with the heavy rain”, Van Dijke said. "I grabbed Kragh Andersen's wheel and tried to overtake him. Unfortunately, I didn't have the proper acceleration in my legs. I still need to get stronger, but I am happy that the team gave me another chance today.”
Tomorrow's stage will be a challenging one, with the Montée de Niklosbierg being climbed three times in the final. "This is a stage that should suit Tiesj perfectly. It will be an important day for the general classification”, Wynants said. Van Dijke is also aware of this. "Tomorrow, I will do everything possible to put Tiesj in the best possible position at the important points. The goal for the rest of the week is to help him finish as high as possible in the GC.”