"The wattage we were pushing was insane" - Thymen Arensman filled with pride despite losing Tour of the Alps GC to Michael Storer

Thymen Arensman headed into the final stage of the 2025 Tour of the Alps holding a narrow 11 second advantage over Michael Storer at the top of the general classification. Sadly for the INEOS Grenadiers leading Dutchman, it ultimately wasn't an advantage he could keep as his Australian rival turned the tables on the final stage, taking the overall win for himself.

Despite the obvious disappointment of missing out what would have been the first GC win of his professional career, Arensman cut a classy post-stage interview, full of praise for the performance of Storer on the final stage.  “Michael was so strong on the penultimate climb," begins the 25-year-old's assessment in conversation with Wielerflits. "I had good legs too and went all-in trying to follow him. The wattage we were pushing was insane. And then he still managed to attack. That deserves real respect.”

The key move came at around 35km to go, when Storer's Tudor Pro Cycling Team teammate Florian Stork blew everyone out of the wheels with an brutal set-up for his team leader. “I definitely expected him to go,” Arensman explained, having been able to follow initially, before ultimately losing the wheel as well. “I also knew he had a teammate up the road. All I could do was go full gas and try to hang on. Whether I blew up or not didn’t matter - I gave it everything, and I’m proud of that. The whole team gave it their all - we can be proud of that.”

And with the Giro d'Italia on the horizon, a Grand Tour Arensman has twice claimed a top 6 finish at, the signs are overwhelmingly positive for the INEOS Grenadiers star. “Really positive," he agrees. "We’re clearly on the right track. It just needs to be a bit more consistent. And I think there’s still a few more percent to gain - that’s definitely possible. But we’re on the right path.”