Affini gives Italy, Visma | Lease a Bike and a small village in Drenthe the European stars

Affini is known as a man who is always ready for his teammates at Visma | Lease a Bike, all of whom will also grant him this success. He had to pinch his arm in the light blue jersey with European stars in Hasselt. "I don't know what to say; this is wonderful. It had been a long time since I won, in my first year as a pro, to be exact," Affini recalled.

"After that, I always did my best work, but here I started without pressure," said Affini, another essential link of the Visma | Lease a Bike team in the Vuelta a España over the past three weeks. "The last three weeks in the Vuelta were tough; it was the toughest grand tour I've ever been on, working for the team and for my chance in the time trials."

"In the final time trial, I didn't feel good, and I was missing the power to ride a good result," Affini said of the time trial in Madrid. "So I took it easy the last two days and hoped for the best today. I didn't feel good in the morning, but my coach Mathieu (Heijboer, ed.) said it might improve. I gave everything, but I still have trouble believing it. I'm going to enjoy this as much as I can."

"I just raced as hard as I could, and this was the result," said Affini, who addressed the Dutch-language press in perfect Dutch. "After five or 10 minutes, it went fast. I thought too fast, but I still tried. I was also told on the radio that I had one of the best intermediate times. Until the finish, it was non-stop giving it all."

The fact that Affini could share it with his loved ones in Belgian Limburg made him even more proud of his title. "What a surprise, also for me. It's incredible, but really a beautiful moment. Also, because I can share it with my family. My parents and sister were from Italy, and my Dutch girlfriend and her parents were present. I live in a small village in the Netherlands, slightly above Assen. Donderen," he says with a big smile to the Dutch people.