Tom Dumoulin recognized the famed Van Dongen strategy in Bart Lemmen and Wout van Aert's efforts: "Doesn't always work out at the pro level"

The rider from the Dutch team initially found himself in a large breakaway group of 36 riders. Alongside teammate Wout van Aert, he represented the 'Killer Bees.' "We both jumped into a very large group on the first climb," Lemmen said in a post-race interview with Eurosport. "After that, it was relatively easy to keep rotating until the race blew open with three climbs to go."

That's when Visma | Lease a Bike's strategic plan kicked in. With Van Aert in the chasing group, presumably the fastest on paper, Lemmen wasn't forced to reveal his full potential. "From the last real climb, where Kwiatkowski attacked, I was really shattered," explained the former soldier. "Luckily, I could play the game with Wout behind me, but I was totally empty by the end."

However, Van Aert never made it to the front. Everyone in the large chase group was riding in his wheel. "I didn’t time it right," he admitted to HLN among others. "It wasn’t a fun finish. Kwiatkowski broke away because he had the legs. Just before the summit, I reacted and when he went, I had to let him go. I’m glad Bart could tuck in because he was super important today in the breakaway. From then on, I decided to gamble and then Victor (Campenaerts, ed.) shot forward from behind. I regret missing that move, but he picked the right moment."

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He further elaborated on his team's strategy at NOS. "If I'm at the front, then Wout doesn't have to ride and neither do I. And then we hope it comes to a sprint." But it didn't get to that point. Lemmen ended up in the chasing group. "Those three upfront pulled away in the descent. It's odd because I wasn't braking... That happened because there were motorcycles in front of them... Very annoying. But I'm also reacting very emotionally right now."

The big question after the finish was whether Lemmen could have won the stage himself, without all the work for team leader Van Aert. "I was actually quite strong today. It's true that if we could have sprinted with Wout, we would have had a great chance to win because he's usually the fastest."

However, Van Aert admitted he wasn't at his best either. "At the moment of Campenaerts' attack, I didn't have the legs and I gambled and lost. I played it too safe beforehand. But hats off to those guys who stayed in front; we rode hard, but so did they. I only ride such stages to win, but for Bart, securing a top-ten finish is still significant. We supported each other as long as possible, but in the deep end of the final, it was up to Bart."

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The NOS analyst saw a very strong Lemmen in the race. "Incredible," he described his performance. "We've seen him perform well in the first two and a half weeks, always in service to others. Now, he was also in service, but more in the spotlight. He was one of the strongest in the breakaway but had to do most of the work for Van Aert, who was expected to be the fastest in the breakaway. Visma | Lease a Bike opted to go all out for Van Aert instead of letting Lemmen take his chances."

Although it's easier to comment in hindsight, Dumoulin understood the tactics used. "Looking back, indeed, he should have moved with the climbs, then maybe he could have won. But they bet on Van Aert. They were there with two out of 36. You have to keep one fresh. Bart Lemmen had to control all 36, that's unsustainable. Eventually, Lemmen ended up in a second group where he wasn't allowed to go for it. They lost time because of it. Eventually, they decided he could go for it. Maybe tactically not the best choice, but whether I would have done differently, I'm not sure," said the analyst.

Dumoulin recognized the famed tactic of team director Arthur van Dongen. "Not working at the front and not at the back doesn't always work in the pros. If you're the only one not riding at the front, the rest say: we won't carry you to the finish for free," concluded the former cyclist in his analysis.