Thymen Arensman leading INEOS Grenadiers resurgence at Paris-Nice: "With one more stage to go, I'm on the podium”
Cycling
With just one stage remaining in Paris-Nice, Thymen Arensman
finds himself third in the general classification, taking advantage of Mattias
Skjelmose’s unfortunate crash and subsequent withdrawal from the race. The INEOS
Grenadiers rider has been steadily working his way up the rankings and now
stands on the verge of securing his best-ever result in a WorldTour stage race.
Reflecting on the challenging conditions of the race,
Arensman took to social media to thank his team for their dedicated support. "Paris-Nice
is more the race to the snow," he wrote. "I have to thank my
teammates for the work they did. Hats off."
Despite his own success, the Dutchman was quick to
acknowledge the misfortune of Skjelmose, who had been in third place until his nasty
crash over traffic furniture on Stage 7 forced him out of the race. "With
one more stage to go, I'm on the podium, but I feel very sorry for Mattias
Skjelmose," Arensman said. "I hope Mattias is okay because it looked
very bad after that crash due to the lack of signalling on a traffic
island."
At 25 years old, Arensman has already demonstrated his
ability as a strong general classification rider, with his best stage race
results to date being sixth place at the Giro d'Italia in both 2023 and 2024,
as well as sixth at the 2022 Vuelta a España. Now, he has a chance to secure his
first podium finish in a WorldTour stage race.
INEOS Grenadiers have been one of the strongest teams at
both Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, with multiple riders showing strong
form. At Paris-Nice, Arensman has consistently climbed the rankings, gradually
edging his way onto the podium. His team played a crucial role in shaping the
race, particularly on Stage 6, where they were instrumental in splitting the
peloton in the crosswinds.
In Stage 7’s summit finish in Auron, Arensman crossed the
line in 13th place, just behind teammate Magnus Sheffield, who sits sixth in
the overall standings. Meanwhile, Tobias Foss, another aggressive rider from
INEOS this week, dropped three places and is now ninth overall.
Heading into the final stage, Arensman trails race leader
Matteo Jorgenson by 1:20 minutes and sits 43 seconds behind second-placed
Florian Lipowitz. While overtaking Lipowitz for second place may be difficult,
securing a podium spot would be a significant milestone in his career.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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