"I want to strike right away and take the yellow jersey" - Dylan Groenewegen beams with confidence before Grand Départ

Dylan Groenewegen was slightly bitter after the Dutch Championships where he arrived third behind Olav Kooij and winner Danny van Poppel. Thus no back-to-back title for the 32-year-old. Does that influence his ambitions for Tour de France?

Not at all. "The big goal for me is to strike right away in the first stage and take the yellow jersey," he declares confidently at WielerFlits. It's been five years now since a sprinter wore the desired jersey. "The first stage is of course super important and my eyes are focused on that now, but there will be more chances after that. On paper I will get around six chances, I think," he tells his story.

The fast man of Team Jayco AlUla will get an opportunity to forget the 2019 Tour where he crashed in the opening stage as a big favourite to wear yellow. "No, I do not have feelings of revenge. Sometimes things just happen that way, things you would rather not have. The fact that Mike still took the yellow jersey was very nice for the team," he continues.

Despite the upset at National Championships, Groenewegen has no doubts in his legs. "The form is just good, but I have worked hard the past few weeks. That is why it is important to get fresh now and then we have to be completely ready on Saturday."