Fabio Jakobsen lightens up his struggling at Giro d'Italia: "We are normal guys from the Netherlands, who are now riding around at the Giro"

Fabio Jakobsen's Giro d'Italia as far had far to a pink dream. In fact, the DSM-firmenich PostNL sprinter hasn't had a shot at a victory yet, with 22nd place in stage four as his best result. The Italian grand tour is known for not being very nice to pure sprinters, but this year's parcours are a touch harder then usual, with the first chance for the purest of sprinters as late as in stage 13 from Riccione to Cento.

Jakobsen himself feels that his form is not ideal after spending most of the race in the gruppetto with mate Julius van den Berg. "It's a bit of a grind. I'm doing my best, but it's actually not good enough," the Dutch sprinter said honestly in a chat with In de Leiderstrui, after his time trial on Friday.

"That is sometimes the case and it bothers me. We have to look at it with the team and ultimately it is top sport, so if you miss something, it immediately seems like a lot. It's not super bad, but not good enough either. It was not the intention to let go so early every time, but then you have to be just a little lighter and be able to pedal just a little harder. That balance is just the other way around for me now."

"Julius and I are super good mates and we know where we come from. We are normal guys from the Netherlands, who are now riding around at the Giro. That's not always fun and great, but we had hoped it would be better. If I have to unload, he stays with me and we continue riding together. That helps if you are friends and can do it together."