Groenewegen and Jayco-AlUla off track—What now for the Dutch champion? "Then it will come naturally"

The final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico was won by Jonathan Milan, but with Groenewegen already interviewed, the spotlight turned to his own performance. Within the span of just 2 or 3 kilometers, he lost his sprint train multiple times, and when he tried to make it to the front solo in the final corner, the result once again fell short. He crossed the line in 13th place.

That wasn’t what he had hoped for, as he admitted the day before his last sprint opportunity at Tirreno. "Of course, I would’ve liked to have already won, but sometimes you need things to go your way, and sometimes you hit a rough patch. I’m feeling good physically, but two crashes don’t help. Especially not in a race like Tirreno, where you only get one real sprint chance—and then you hit the deck... it’s no surprise you don’t have results yet."

Read more below the photo.

Groenewegen’s calm attitude is understandable, considering the circumstances. On stage five of the UAE Tour, he suffered a heavy crash that left him with a mild concussion. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t start the next day. "I had a headache for four or five days, but I took it easy and then started feeling much better. I eased back into training, which wasn’t ideal going into Tirreno. But I was in good form before the crash, so in the end, you don’t lose all that much."

Plus, Groenewegen had shown strong legs at the AlUla Tour, where he even finished second once despite a flat tire. So is it really just a matter of small details falling into place? "I know I’m feeling good, and as a rider, you go through phases where things click or they don’t. Last year, everything came together around the Tour de France, and I was really in the zone. If you keep training well and the feeling is good, then the results will come. You don’t need to put too much pressure on yourself."

Read more below the photo.

If the problem doesn’t lie with Groenewegen’s legs, then the reason for the lack of wins may need to be found in Jayco-AlUla’s sprint train. That’s something the Dutchman had already addressed back in December: "That stuff definitely gets handled behind the scenes, haha! After a race, everyone has their emotions, and we talk it through on the team bus. What’s said there is constructive criticism, and it stays between us. But I’m also the kind of guy who, if everyone’s done their best, accepts the result for what it is. It’s not easy to go up against a Mathieu van der Poel lead-out."

"It’s up to us to come up with a better plan and to do better than in previous years. Although, I do think there were phases where we actually did quite well," he added. That same optimistic mindset was present at Tirreno-Adriatico. "I’ve trained well, and I’m in the kind of shape to win. But you do have to stay on your bike, and things have to go your way. That time will come again. Honestly, I think I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been. Hopefully, I’ve had my share of crashes and now it’s time to move forward. Some great races are coming up, and I’m motivated for them."

Read more below the photo.

Wearing the red-white-and-blue national champion’s jersey still brings joy to Dylan Groenewegen. When it looked like the Dutch National Championships might not take place this year, it wouldn’t have been bad news for him—he would’ve gotten to wear the jersey for another year by default. But Groenewegen sees it differently: "I’m just going to try to earn that jersey again in June. I’m glad the nationals are being organized—it’s good for Dutch cycling. Hopefully, I’ll head to the Tour de France in red, white, and blue again."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])