“That’s my way of sprinting” - Dylan Groenewegen pipped on the line at the Bredene Koksijde Classic after opening his sprint early

Dylan Groenewegen was forced to settle for second place at the Bredene Koksijde Classic, as he was pipped on the line by Luca Mozzato, in what was a surprise victory for the Arkéa - B&B Hotels rider. The Dutchman opened up his sprint early in the finale, but was unable to hold on for the victory, as Mozzato came out of his slipstream and came around him to take the win.

In an interview with WielerFlits, Groenewegen defended his choice to go early, as he said “I know I often do long sprints, I like that. That's my way of sprinting. But another one came over it due to the strong headwind”.

The Jayco AlUla rider clearly felt good going into the final few hundred metres, as he was able to get hold his sprint all the way to the line, with Groenewegen stating that “if you ride a very strong sprint, but maybe start a little too early and then just don't win, then I am a winner and I am very disappointed. The legs are just really good, but it's all about winning and that's what I did. When you get into that situation, you want to finish it”.