"I know exactly what those last two or three kilometres look like" - Dylan Groenewegen ready to lead Unibet Rose Rockets into Giro d’Italia debut

Dylan Groenewegen is heading into the Giro d’Italia with confidence, despite a turbulent lead-up for both himself and Unibet Rose Rockets. The Dutch sprinter will line up in Burgas on Friday aiming to deliver a dream start for Bas Tietema’s team, which is preparing for its first-ever appearance in a Grand Tour.

The opening stage in Bulgaria is widely expected to end in a bunch sprint, immediately placing Groenewegen among the favourites for the first maglia rosa of the race. Ahead of the start, the Dutchman sat down with IDL Pro Cycling to discuss his form, the team’s ambitions and the pressure that now follows them into every sprint.

Preparation for the Giro was not entirely smooth. Groenewegen crashed at the Scheldeprijs earlier this spring and admitted the aftermath affected his build-up in the weeks that followed.

“My back was giving me some trouble for a while, so I had to ease off in training and take it easy,” Groenewegen explained. “That’s also why we had to skip the Ronde van Limburg, and that turned out to be the right call, the back got better pretty quickly. Then we spent three weeks in Spain with the team and it went well there. So we’re ready.”

The problems did not stop there for Unibet Rose Rockets. Earlier this week, the squad confirmed that Karsten Feldmann, expected to play a key role in Groenewegen’s lead-out train, had fallen ill and would miss the race. Before that, Rory Townsend had also been ruled out.

Still, Groenewegen believes the team is capable of adapting once again.

“That’s true for five of our riders, yes. But that makes it even more exciting,” he said, referring to the number of riders making their Grand Tour debut. “It’s a shame Karsten Feldmann got ill after the training camp, but in Matyas Kopecky we have a rider with the same capabilities stepping in for him.”

For Groenewegen himself, the Giro also carries unfinished business. His previous appearance in the Italian Grand Tour came during a difficult period in his career, shortly after returning from suspension.

“I’ve done the Giro once before, kind of, as I call it myself,” he admitted. “That was after a difficult period, my suspension, and I was coming back after a long time without racing. I dropped out after about nine days, so in some ways this almost feels like my first Giro too.”

Unibet Rose Rockets arrive at the race after an impressive opening half of the season, with Groenewegen already collecting victories. Their performances have transformed the squad from outsiders into one of the teams closely watched in every sprint finish.

“You could already feel that in the first race of the season in Valencia,” Groenewegen said. “We started with a win straight away, which made everyone even more aware. When it worked again in Bruges, the first WorldTour sprint race of the year, it was a matter of proving ourselves again. And now you’re at a point where you notice it in the peloton too: others are watching you.”

A major influence behind that progress has been former sprint star Marcel Kittel, who has become heavily involved in the team’s sprint project.

“Marcel Kittel plays a big part in that too, of course,” Groenewegen explained. “That started back in winter, with all the meetings we had then. Marcel is full of energy, loves doing it, and it shows in everything. He doesn’t mind spending an extra half hour in a meeting, goes through everything meticulously, and that only drives us all on more.”

The focus now shifts entirely towards Friday’s finale in Burgas, a finish Groenewegen says he has studied in depth over recent weeks.

“Very well,” he answered when asked how well he knew the route. “We started working on it two or three weeks ago, and by then we’d already talked through our plans with each other. Now we’re getting into the fine details, but I can say that I know exactly what those last two or three kilometres look like.”

The Dutchman also outlined the names he expects to battle for victory in the opening sprint, mentioning riders such as Jonathan Milan, Paul Magnier, Matteo Moschetti, Matteo Malucelli and Tobias Lund Andresen among the main contenders.

“There are about eight of them for a stage like the first one,” Groenewegen said. “Everyone is still fresh and full of ambition, so you have to write down all of those names.”

Despite the tension surrounding the opening sprint and the historic nature of the occasion for his team, Groenewegen appears calm heading into the race.

“The team presentation gets it all started, and then the day before you can relax a bit and go over everything once more,” he concluded. “That builds up the tension slightly, which is a good feeling, but I’m someone who always sleeps well.”