"With Jasper it just falls in the right direction, with me it doesn't" - Dylan Groenewegen loses to Jasper Philipsen yet another time this season

Dylan Groenewegen had to settle for second place behind Jasper Philipsen in the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen. There was a photo finish, but the Belgian turned out to be slightly faster than the Dutchman from Jayco-AlUla.

Afterwards, disappointment seemed to dominate Groenewegen. "The fact that I was close is of little use to me. It was a nice, honest sprint. Jasper arrived at the finish just a little earlier, so he was unbeatable," he said. "The victory was possible, but it just turned out well for him. With Jasper it just falls in the right direction, with me it doesn't."

The sprinter also had to acknowledge his superiority in Philipsen a number of times in the Tour de France. "We have to see what we can do better, maybe I just didn't start at the perfect time. I was forced to do so a few times during the Tour, but on Sunday I had bad luck in Fourmies. As a sprinter you always want to win, but here it was certainly possible," said Groenewegen.

The Dutchman will compete in a number of races this autumn, but the European Championships in Drenthe are not among them. "The course is very tough, so I certainly understand national coach Koos Moerenhout. However, I still ride enough races, so I will certainly give my best," he concluded.