"I was chasing results for a long time" - Dylan Groenewegen becomes Dutch champion for the first time since 2016

Dylan Groenewegen found it difficult to control his emotions after he became Dutch champion for the second time in Arnhem. According to the Jayco AlUla sprinter, the difficult spring has something to do with this.

With the Posbank testing riders' legs several times on Sunday and also a difficult final lap in Arnhem, it was not the easiest of National championships, but Groenewegen survived and was able to sprint. "It was a tough race, but I had so much conviction in the last kilometer that it would turn out well," he says in a quick interview with WielerFlits after the finish.

Groenewegen also agrees that this route wasn't exactly his cup of tea, but he managed to pull through. "It wasn't very easy, especially at the beginning of the year. Now I have the jersey for a whole year and I will take it to the Tour. I trained so hard for this."

"It was gambling," he looks back on the race. "At one point there were fifteen people ahead and I had to cross with a group on the Posbank. Then Visma | Lease a Bike broke away with two people and everything came together again. The boys bent over backwards to get me into position. After that I was confident that it would be a sprint."

With the Tour de France coming up, Groenewegen can prepare to race in the champion's jersey for the first time since his victory in 2016. "It was a difficult start to the year, also due to illness and because I wanted to return too quickly. I was chasing results for a long time. Winning a stage in the Tour would be great," he looks ahead.