Interview | Jumbo-Visma wanted to beat Pogacar to it: “It was looking good for a moment, but then it went downhill quickly”

He spoke calmly afterward, but during the race he was giving it his all, when Jumbo-Visma got caught up in a scramble at about 80 kilometers from the finish. "Yeah, yeah, I had to plough at the front for a while. It was looking good for a moment, until it wasn’t. We had anticipated Pogacar’s performance and had taken into account beforehand that he would be outstanding."

In order to thwart the Slovenian’s plans as much as possible, Jumbo-Visma came up with a counterplan. "Our plan was to take control of the race halfway through, so that we would be able to break away earlier. Things were looking really good for Tosh Van Der Sande for a moment, but then it went downhill quickly," Oomen concluded, who watched Van Der Sande get left behind on the Cauberg the moment top riders like Pogacar and Tom Pidcock took control of the race.

"When we suddenly were no longer in the leading group, we of course had to start riding quite early on, but then... the road suddenly got very slippery, it looked like there was an oil slick or something. That's where Attila Valter fell and I had to leave a gap. At that point, only Tiesj was still riding along," the rider from Tilburg summed up. "And in a classic like this, you pay cash for any and all extra effort."

Oomen refrains from calling it a mistake. "Tosh was really well positioned, so in that sense we can’t be faulted," he said, while team leader Benoot indicated he was just a little too far back at a crucial time in the race. "The situation also got more challenging when we were caught behind that crash," said Oomen, who eventually finished 48th.

All in all, that is not a bad result, knowing that Oomen was still recovering from his crash in the Algarve in February and had to work hard to come back. "It went well in the Basque Country, but as you say... it wasn't exactly the ideal preparation. I had hoped to be able to stay with the peloton a little longer, but without superb legs, after going the extra mile a few times, you really do pay for that. It's alright, but it would have been nice to progress in the race and be able to help Tiesjke more."

In the coming days, Oomen is set to ride in the Waalse Pijl and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. "Normally, Liège should suit me even better, so that's what I'm hoping for."

Tom van der Salm (Twitter: @TomvanderSalm) | e-mail: [email protected])