Thymen Arensman himself has admitted that his Tour of the Alps performance so far hasn't been to the level anyone expected. Stage four showed signs of progress however and the Dutchman is confident by the Giro d'Italia he will be at his best.
“I had a great feeling. I have nothing to complain about and I am happy that I was able to do my work for the team," the INEOS Grenadiers climber told WielerFlits post-stage. “Tao is very grateful, so that is very nice. I felt really good on that climb. I also had to lead the whole first climb at a solid pace and I checked everyone there, so I feel a lot better. That is great for the Giro”
Whilst INEOS have been dominant at the race so far with Tao Geoghegan Hart having taken two stages and firmly holding onto the race's overall lead, Arensman has struggled to readjust following an intense altitude training camp but with the worst now seemingly behind him things are looking up once again for the 23-year-old and Geoghegan Hart is full of praise.
“He rode very comfortably and very strong," said the former Giro d'Italia winner. “It is exactly as I expected a few days ago. He rode super strong today, because there were only fifteen or twenty riders on his wheel after that first climb. I am very happy that he is feeling well again and tomorrow he will be even stronger.”
Top work from the team today, coming through a tricky test without issue at #TotA. The break stays clear but the larger GC picture remains unchanged, as @taogeoghegan leads heading into tomorrow's finale. Credit to @ThymenArensman who did a great job pacing the final climb 👊
