“We’ve got one more week left” - Dylan Groenewegen rues lost opportunity but remains hopeful of Giro sprint win

Stage 15 of the Giro d’Italia 2026 left a bitter taste for Unibet Rose Rockets and especially for Dylan Groenewegen. The Dutch team was among the most active throughout the chase of the break, but the collective effort wasn’t enough to stop the win from going to the escapees.

Groenewegen crossed the line in sixth (second from the peloton behind Paul Magnier) after a reduced sprint shaped by the huge fatigue accumulated on a day raced at full tilt. The Dutchman admitted the outcome was far from what the team had envisioned at the start.

“It’s not what we expected,” he told Cycling Pro Net. The plan was clear from the gun: control the stage and fight for a bunch sprint. But a break packed with powerful riders held on to the end.

“I wasn’t wrong; the break was up the road,” Groenewegen explained, adding he may have launched his sprint “a bit too early.” Even so, he stressed that every fast man in the bunch was on the limit: “I think everyone was at the max".

The big question in Milano was how a breakaway survived on a pan-flat stage seemingly drawn up for the sprinters. Groenewegen said the sprint teams worked all day, but it simply wasn’t enough to close the gap.

“We tried, but we didn’t make it,” he said. “We came up short.”

Unibet Rose Rockets took on much of the workload in the chase and emptied almost the entire team trying to cut the leaders’ advantage.

“We put the whole team on the front,” the Dutchman explained. He also credited other major blocks in the peloton. “I think many teams did as well: Lidl–Trek, Soudal Quick-Step…”.

The issue, however, was that the break never lost speed. “The break was too strong,” Groenewegen admitted.

His analysis went beyond pure tactics and pointed to the accumulated fatigue after two weeks of a Grand Tour. The Giro is starting to take a toll even on the peloton’s most powerful specialists.

“Everyone was out of energy,” he noted. “The engines are tired at this point.”

Groenewegen described an especially demanding stage due to a mix of factors: heat, relentless speed, and the toughness of the Milan city circuit.

“It was pretty hot too,” he said. That added to the wear from previous days and the constant tension of the final urban laps.

“The local laps make it quite hard, and the last days make it even tougher,” he commented.

The stage turned into an endurance test closer to an explosive classic than a traditional Grand Tour sprint. Despite missing the main objective, the Dutchman made it clear he has no complaints about his team’s work.

“Today we did everything we could,” he said. “That was the maximum.”

One of the day’s big talking points was the controversy around the final Milano circuit. Several riders criticized the road surface, cobbles, tram tracks, and the course’s risk, to the point that the organisers neutralised GC times before the final lap.

Groenewegen, however, distanced himself from those complaints and offered a much more positive view of the route.

“For me it was beautiful,” he said when asked if he had felt in danger during the closing laps.

Far from sharing the concern voiced by others, the Dutch sprinter said he particularly enjoys this kind of urban finish.

“I love the local laps,” he said. “They’re beautiful with the crowd.”

He also praised the atmosphere created by the fans on the streets of Milan and the fact the stage was raced in good weather.

“Luckily we had good weather,” he added. “I have nothing to complain about.”

His comments stood in stark contrast to statements from other riders in the peloton, who had called for immediate changes to the stage as they perceived heightened risk on the circuit.

After another missed chance in a bunch finish, Groenewegen is inevitably looking to Rome as one of the last big opportunities for out-and-out sprinters in this Giro.

Asked directly whether the finale in the Italian capital represents the last bullet for him and Unibet Rose Rockets, the Dutchman widened the focus and noted the team still has other goals in play.

“We have one more week,” he said. “We also have Wout Poels, we have Lukas Kubis…”.

When the conversation turned back to his personal sprint chances, Groenewegen did concede Rome looms as a key opportunity.

“Maybe Rome, yes, we’ll see,” he replied.

He did so with notable calm, far from any anxiety about not having won yet at this Giro. Asked if he felt pressure, his answer was instant.

“No,” he said. “I already had that before at the Tour de France.”