"I hope we can continue like this in the coming days" - Visma | Lease a Bike sports director proud about the youngsters' performances at Settimana Coppi e Bartali

Milan Vader and Koen Bouwman finished fifth and sixth in the second stage of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali. In the difficult stage with several climbs, they were able to follow the best riders in the finale, but in the end, Diego Ullisi proved to be the strongest.

"The plan was to race offensively. In the finale, we showed ourselves several times, but unfortunately, we did not get the win. Still, we can be satisfied with two riders in the top ten," said sports director Robert Wagner.

"In the general classification, we are in a good position," the German continued. "We still have three hard stages ahead, in which a lot is possible. We have already shown as a team that we are very strong, and we will try to use our strength in the next stages. With Milan and Koen, we are in good shape, but the other guys are still close in the gc as well."

Wagner, who has a mixed formation with WorldTour and Development riders in the Italian stage race, is proud of the performances of his young talents. "They are doing really well. Darren van Bekkum already showed in Croatia to have excellent legs and now also opened up the race at more than 50 kilometers before the line. In addition, Tijmen Graat, Johannes Staune-Mittet, and Menno Huising are also doing well. I hope we can continue like this in the coming days."