"I felt really bad when I woke up today" - Thymen Arensman fights through a bad day to finish with the best

INEOS Grenadiers were again in the spotlight during the eleventh stage of Giro d'Italia. While Egan Bernal lit up the race at the front on San Pellegrino, Thymen Arensman quietly disappeared from the mix. But through a composed ride, Arensman eventually finished at the same time as the Colombian champion and thus keeps his name high in the general classification.

"I felt really bad, I knew that when I got up. It was mainly because of the time trial, but also because it was very stuffy," said the Dutchman at Eurosport. "I felt super bloated, really bad. But Egan still wanted to attack," he continued.

After the Colombian's acceleration, Arensman immediately found himself distanced from the main group. But he didn't panic and as everything came back together in the long descent from San Pellegrino, the 25-year-old was suddenly back in the game.

"I thought: it's still a long way to the finish. Even if I have to drop out, it's a good opener for my body. I was confident that I could come back, and I kept pacing myself. In the final I actually felt really good again. The time trial is always a special day and I felt really bad at the beginning, but the climb got me through it again."

"It was an aggressive start to the stage and Thymen felt a bit blocked. Plus there was a lot of humidity so he controlled his effort," INEOS sports director Zak Dempster looked on Arensman's performance approvingly.

And then three hours into the stage, the Dutchman's legs finally kicked in. On the final uphill drag to Castelnovo ne' Monti, Arensman no longer had problem following the pace of the best. That was a major confidence boost. "I actually felt really good, especially when Carapaz attacked on that last climb. It was also a bit less steep, so that suited me better. I really got a lot better during the day, that gives me confidence again," he concluded.