Thijs Zonneveld on Alpecin's Scheldeprijs victory: "They rode with a mission, Jasper won for a reason"

Thijs Zonneveld, a renowned Dutch journalist, has made a comeback to the peloton this year with the BEAT Cycling Club. He was present at yesterday's Scheldeprijs and reported on his experience, detailing the performance of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Mathieu van der Poel who rode to a win on the day.

"It's not too bad in the peloton, you can catch up. Many riders still felt Sunday's Tour [of Flanders] in their legs, but it was also nice to see how certain teams such as Alpecin-Deceuninck rode so dominantly. They rode with a mission, Jasper [Philipsen] won for a reason," Zonneveld reported in Sporza.

The Dutch rider rode to 82nd on the day but his insight from within the peloton is an interesting one, one however that is better expressed in person. "I occasionally saw him riding alongside the peloton (going back to the car, ed.). He then went to pick something up and returned. That was very impressive. We went to the side for a while and he moped past us. He's fine, you know," Zonneveld commented. 

The race was won by Jasper Philipsen, and van der Poel was part of the leadout that helped him towards the win, as he put on a strong pace early on to avoid the risks, but keep the race rhythm ahead of Paris-Roubaix where he will target a win.