Daan Hoole seventh in European ITT Championships: "I am very happy and satisfied with a top ten"

A seventh place at the European Time Trial Championships in his home country was a nice boost for Daan Hoole. The rider who normally competes for Lidl-Trek raced a lesser World Championships against the clock, but with this result following good performances in Denmark and Renewi Tour, he once again put himself in the spotlight.

"It was tough and fast, but I did well. I was able to continue to deliver my capabilities," the always friendly Hoole told In de Leiderstrui afterwards. "It was a matter of pushing as hard as possible. I started quickly with the headwind, after which it was really important to hold on as long as possible. I also felt that things were going well, which was definitely a boost."

"The World Championships was just really disappointing," he reflected on Scotland, where he finished 34th. "Then you start to doubt yourself, but Koos still had confidence in me and I was also able to do two good time trials in the meantime. I also got the best out of it here, with a nice result. I am very happy and satisfied with a top ten."

How could Hoole still take courage from the poorer performance in Glasgow, where things just weren't going well for the man from Southland? 'We analyzed with the team what went wrong and what could be improved. We were able to make those things clear, after which fortunately I finished fourth in the time trial four days later in the Tour of Denmark. I rode really well there, so I gained some confidence.