Joris Nieuwenhuis bows down before Superprestige Niel winner Eli Iserbyt: "He really is one of those killers who can really pull through in the final lap"

Joris Nieuwenhuis was one of the main protagonists of the Superprestige Niel. In the end he had to settle for second place, but this result still feels a bit like a victory for the Dutchman as he notes in a flash interview afterwards.

"Whole season has been a bit inconsistent so far," Nieuwenhuis began his story. "One moment it was very good, the next moment not at all. Before the season started, I had a really high level. But due to certain circumstances, things did not go well in recent weeks. I'm glad everything finally came together now."

Nieuwenhuis could not really explain why the sudden change. "Honestly? No idea. I trained quite hard all week to get through it again for the coming period. I wasn't actually aiming for this weekend, but it all fell into place. My back held up well, which helps a lot. I think the course suited me too. Technical, but also tough."

Eli Iserbyt, the eventual winner, also indicated that Nieuwenhuis ran better than himself. "Ah yes, I have trained that a lot last year. I kept running all year long, while normally, in the WorldTour, you have to keep riding all those road races. I do think that running was to my advantage. But if my back doesn't cooperate, it won't work either. So everything went just fine now."

In the last lap Nieuwenhuis had to let Iserbyt go after something faltered in the transition post. "That wasn't the only thing," the Dutchman is honest. "In the end he also rode far away. I can handle high pace very well, but when Eli accelerates, I still have difficulty following. I did believe that I could win. We sat together until the last lap and I noticed throughout the race that he was really struggling when I pulled away for a while. But what I'm saying is, he really is one of those killers who can really pull through in the final lap. I don't have that yet."