Inspired by teammates, Van Eetvelt is back to his best: "Third place in San Sebastián is incredible"

The talented stage racer Lennert Van Eetvelt proved his prowess in tough one-day races at the Clasica San Sebastián, securing an impressive third place behind winner Marc Hirschi and Julian Alaphilippe. "I'm super happy," he said in the flash interview.

Van Eetvelt's season has been a mix of highs and lows. He started the year fantastically with an overall win at the UAE Tour. However, his performance soon declined. Van Eetvelt struggled with a knee injury and spent several months on the sidelines. It's no surprise that the impact of this injury came up quickly in the interview. "The period of the injury and its recovery was very tough. And today, Andreas and Maxim (Kron and Van Gils, ed.) said they wanted to ride for me. Having such strong riders work for me gave me a lot of confidence. It's a pity I couldn't follow them (Alaphilippe and Hirschi, ed.), but third in San Sebastian is incredible."

"It was a really tough race today," continued Van Eetvelt. "Lying on the beach would have been much more pleasant," he joked, referring to the location of the Basque city. "However, the result is amazing, and it's fantastic to be racing again," a happy Van Eetvelt concluded. Normally, the young rider will start the Vuelta a España in Portugal next week. Following his debut last year, this will be his second appearance in the grand tour. With his third-place finish in San Sebastián, Van Eetvelt can head to the Iberian Peninsula with confidence.