Finally! Arvid de Kleijn secures his and Tudor's first victory at WorldTour level: "We are making great strides"

After several second places behind Tim Merlier in the UAE Tour, it was clear that Arvid de Kleijn was making his mark. The sprinting powerhouse from Tudor Cycling finally triumphed on Monday afternoon in a WorldTour event: he won the second stage of Paris-Nice. A confirmation for both himself and his team: "Even though I'm a bit older, we as a team are making huge strides."

De Kleijn was understandably very pleased with the victory. "I was really aiming for this one. It's great to clinch it like this. It was a beautiful team performance, we remained calm. Matteo was with us, and he always knows what we need to do. He did a great turn. Everyone was fantastic. Yesterday, I had less chance than Matteo, for me it was a gamble so I decided to pass. But today, it was all in for me," he explained in the flash interview about the team tactics.

"I was a bit boxed in behind a teammate, but then a gap opened up. I was able to get on Van Poppel's wheel, and I managed to maintain the speed to the line." Tudor has been making a great impression in recent weeks, and it seemed only a matter of time before the Dutch sprinter's employer would secure a victory. "We are making huge strides. Myself as well, even though I'm getting older. It's great to see that we can do this with the guys," said the nearly 29-year-old De Kleijn.

Trentin emphasizes how important this victory is for Tudor

Team captain Matteo Trentin was also pleased with the victory. "We had a nice plan. We rode a good finale and chose the right side well. We timed well, and I was able to push hard at the front. This victory is very important for us, in a very big race," said the former European champion, who himself had also performed well yesterday for Tudor.