Pim Ronhaar, eleventh in Antwerp, loses valuable points towards overall standings: "At one point I took the lead to keep up the pace. Maybe I shouldn't have done that"

Prior to the World Cup in Antwerp, Pim Ronhaar was second in the overall ranking, but lost some points as he crossed the line in eleventh place in Antwerp. The Baloise Trek Lions rider blamed himself for one particular mistake in an interview with In de Leiderstrui afterwards.

Ronhaar, who has already won two World Cups this season and finished second in Namur last week, started the race well. "It may not be exactly my route, but that shouldn't normally be a problem. I felt fine at the start, but at one point I took the lead to keep up the pace. Maybe I shouldn't have done that."

"I felt very strong, so I didn't immediately think that it was a disadvantage," he explained. "But the sand wasn't technical enough to put pressure on the others, so I think that was the only mistake I made. I did my best for one hour and gave it my all, so this was the best I could achieve."

"I would have been better off placing myself in the group and then waiting until the last laps, which Eli actually does perfectly," Ronhaar compliments the World Cup leader. "In the end there was simply too much decay. Thibau fell again, causing us to miss the connection together. And my back also started to act up a bit, so yes... that is not a problem, it also starts to play up mentally when things become more difficult," he explains these problems.