Kooij and Veenhoven sprint to podium finishes at Dutch National Championships
Ede hosted the Dutch road championships. In the morning, the elite women battled it out for the red-white-and-blue jersey, with the men’s race following in the afternoon. A recap of both races:
Women’s race: Veenhoven sprints to bronze
Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women lined up with ten riders, including four-time Dutch champion Marianne Vos. On the billiard-flat circuit in and around Ede, the teams with top sprinters kept the peloton tightly controlled. Eline Jansen and Lonneke Uneken launched an attack together, but their move was reeled in well before the finish.
Meanwhile, Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women made several attempts to avoid a bunch sprint. Vos was among those to launch an attack, though she was given little room. Shortly after, Femke de Vries broke away with three others, but they too were caught. In the lead-up to the final sprint, a crash disrupted the peloton. Vos hit the tarmac but escaped with only minor injuries.
Nienke Veenhoven was brought to the front by her teammates. The 21-year-old talent from Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women had to make up a lot of ground in the final straight but managed to power her way to third place. Only Lorena Wiebes and Charlotte Kool finished ahead of her.
“There’s no shame in finishing behind Lorena and Charlotte”
Nienke Veenhoven
“We delivered a great team performance, so this podium spot is well-deserved,” Veenhoven said afterwards. “I quietly had my sights set on a strong result today, and it’s always special when it actually comes together. After Marianne’s crash, we had to quickly change our plan, but my teammates brought me forward at just the right moment. I had to launch my sprint early, but I was closing in fast. There’s no shame in finishing behind Lorena and Charlotte – they’re among the fastest sprinters in the world. I’m really pleased to have shown myself again here.”
Men’s race: Kooij beaten at the line by Van Poppel
Six riders from Team Visma | Lease a Bike lined up for the men’s race, including Kooij, Wilco Kelderman, Bart Lemmen, Loe van Belle, Tijmen Graat, and former national champion Dylan van Baarle. Sjors Lugthart competed in the U23 category.
The pace in the men’s race was incredibly high as well. After a fast opening hour, eight riders managed to form a breakaway. The peloton – with Team Visma | Lease a Bike doing much of the chasing – kept the lead group within striking distance. Once the groups came back together, a series of fresh attacks followed, but the yellow-and-black squad responded alertly each time.
A bunch sprint through the streets of Ede proved inevitable. Kooij entered the final corner in a perfect position and looked set to hold off his rivals all the way to the line. However, Van Poppel managed to edge past him right at the finish. For the third consecutive year, Kooij finished runner-up at the Dutch national championships.
“Everything went according to plan, but in the end, Danny was the fastest”
Olav Kooij
“I came here for that jersey, so of course I’m disappointed,” Kooij said afterwards. “In the final metres, my legs were starting to give out. I could feel Danny closing in and, unfortunately, I just couldn’t hold him off. It’s a shame, but he’s a deserving winner.”
“The team worked incredibly hard to set up a sprint, and I’m really grateful for that,” Kooij added. “Everything went according to plan, but in the end, Danny was the fastest today. I don’t blame myself or the team. Now it’s time for a short break before I focus on my next goals for the season.”
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National Championships Netherlands ME – Road Race
One day race
Result
Result
1
Danny van Poppel
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe
03:10:28
2
Olav Kooij
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:00
3
Dylan Groenewegen
Team Jayco AlUla
+00:00:00
46
Loe van Belle
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:16
82
Sjors Lugthart
Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development
+00:00:36
92
Bart Lemmen
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:49
109
Tijmen Graat
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:01:05
113
Wilco Kelderman
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:01:05
152
Dylan van Baarle
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:03:27
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Subjects
Cycling – Women’s Team
Cycling – World Tour men
Nienke Veenhoven
Olav Kooij
1
