"This was one of my best days of the season" - Bart Lemmen almost surprises favourites at Coppa Bernocchi with a 30km solo

Bart Lemmen had a great start to his new contract at Visma | Lease a Bike with top-5 finish at the Tour Down Under. The former army member the carried on the momentum across the whole spring and, as a reward got called up as reserve for the Tour de France in July. The Dutchman got through the three-week test with A grades and found back his form just in time for last block of races with top-20 finish in Montreal.

In today's Coppa Bernocchi, Lemmen jumped into the early breakaway and when peloton came closing in, the 28-year-old didn't wait for inevitable and went for a 30km solo ride, only to be caught under the flamme rouge by a small group of favourites. Eventually, the Dutchman was able to secure a top-5 result in a sprint of the small group.

"I really believed I could make it. I rode really hard. Maybe I was left alone a bit too early, because thirty kilometres is still quite a distance. Unfortunately, the finish line was a kilometre too far for me today. They worked well together behind me. It’s really unfortunate to get caught like that at the end, but that’s cycling too," Lemmen shares his perspective on today's race.

Sports director Marc Reef is proud of the 28-year-old rider. "Bart really did everything right. We knew in advance that the breakaway could make it to the finish today. Bart turned out to be the strongest in the breakaway and then you have to make the choice to go solo at one point. It’s a shame that he just didn’t make it. That would have been the icing on the cake for a very good first year with Team Visma | Lease a Bike. It didn't lead to a victory today, but that win will definitely come in the future."

"This was one of my best days of the season," Lemmen says. "I'm in great shape. It was a close call and I almost got my first victory. I still have a good feeling and a nice result after today. This Saturday, another great race awaits: Il Lombardia. Afterwards my off-season starts."