"I won't forgive myself for that" - Lennert van Eetvelt on 'nightmare' stage win he handed to Roglic at Vuelta a España

Lennert van Eetvelt has been sidelined for several months during the 2024 season, but he still had a stratospheric year. He has achieved a lot, won a lot, and proved himself as one of the top climbers in the peloton. However, he does not forget a 'nightmare' moment where he lost what would be his first Grand Tour win.

But his great season began right in January with a triumph at the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana, and a month later he shocked to win the UAE Tour with a brilliant climb to Jebel Hafeet where he was the strongest. "That I won there, I really didn't expect, so early in the season in that field of contenders. I knew I had made progress in the winter but had not dared to dream this," he said in a video shared by the team - who also got the news that Maxim van Gils would be breaking his contract.

Shortly after, he had a knee injury that held him off for three and a half months. "I could train but not compete. We didn't know where it came from, and yet the symptoms remained, even after surgery. For a moment, I thought: this will never go away, this was the end of it. When the pain subsided, however, I soon lost that feeling".

He returned to competition at the national championships, finished third at the Clásica San Sebastián and then entered the Vuelta a España with tremendous form. In the first summit finish at Pico Villuercas he matches Primoz Roglic and Enric Mas, and in the final sprint he went head-to-head with the Slovenian (who eventually won the race). He was bound for a stage win but celebrated too early... "I won't forgive myself for that, I guess. It was a nightmare, that second place,"

He then finished the season with a seventh place at Il Lombardia and then a stage and GC win at the Tour of Guangxi. "I actually look back on it with a lot of pride and a good feeling. I have had a lot of ups and downs, but to be honest, the downs don't bother me that much," he argues. "I still got a lot of great results. For next season, I feel little pressure; I just have to keep going. I know how to train well and prepare for my goals,"