Thymen Arensman keep Team DSM's GC ambition alive - "I picked up a lot of time on several competitors in the general classification"

Among Team DSM's GC contenders, Thymen Arensman remains the last hope. While he is far from wearing a red jersey, he has consistently tried to do well. He placed seventh in the fourteenth stage.

He was part of the breakaway and rode ahead of the peloton for most of the stage. “We never panicked and were always there in the front. The two groups came together, and there was a lot of attacking, but we were always in control, no stress,” said Arensman.

In the last twenty kilometers, the peloton caught up with him, but he tried to stay ahead of them. It was a mistake for him to be overconfident and underestimate the final climb, which caused him to burn out too much energy. “I felt good on the steep part and tried to follow the best guys, but when it is really steep, then it’s harder for me. Maybe I was a bit too overconfident in the last three kilometers. In the end, I was really suffering," Arensman said.

It wasn't all for nothing, as Arensman was able to move up one spot in the general classification rankings, "I picked up a lot of time on several competitors in the general classification," Arensman concluded. He currently holds 11th position in GC, 9 minutes and 14 seconds behind overall leader Remco Evenepoel.