"As soon as I couldn’t win, I sacrificed myself to limit the damage for Carlos Rodriguez” - Laurens De Plus' day in the Tour de France break doesn't go totally to plan

One of the INEOS Grenadiers most important domestiques, Laurens De Plus has been a bit quiet over the first two weeks of the 2024 Tour de France. On stage 15's queen stage however, the Belgian was bright, getting himself into the breakaway before then dropping back to support team leader Carlos Rodriguez on the final climb.

"I suffered in those first two weeks, but today I finally had those legs from the Criterium du Dauphine again and I got into the breakaway," De Plus reflected in his post-stage interview with Het Nieuwsblad. "Because Carlos was behind me, I could also gamble a bit and I didn't always have to go full speed."

Despite the fact De Plus was joined by the likes of Grand Tour winners Richard Carapaz and Jai Hindley, plus Enric Mas and Tobias Johannessen in the break, the Belgian always suspected that the GC boys would be the ones battling it out for the stage win. "I always had the feeling that it would be impossible to stay ahead," he admits. "As soon as I knew that I couldn’t win, I sacrificed myself to limit the damage for Carlos Rodriguez.”

Sadly, De Plus wasn't able to totally save the day for his Spanish leader as Rodriguez lost a hefty chunk of time and dropped from 5th to 6th in the process, seeing the final podium slip further and further away disappointingly. "Too bad he loses so much time with an eye on the podium, but the finish is in Nice. We remain ambitious and do not give up," De Plus assesses of Rodriguez in conclusion. "Hopefully there will be another chance for me to go for the stage win. But first watch the Euro 2024 final, eat burgers, maybe have a beer and then rest tomorrow. That will feel good."