Danny van Poppel has claimed victory in the final stage of the NIBC Tour of Holland. The Dutch champion bridged to the leading group in the finale, stayed just ahead of the peloton with his breakaway companions, and sprinted to the win. Christophe Laporte, who never struggled on the last day, crowned himself overall winner.
The last stage of the Tour of Holland was originally supposed to be a gravel spectacle, but the organizers decided to remove the only gravel section from the route. The unpaved sector was deemed too dangerous. The local circuit around Arnhem, which had to be completed eleven times, still included Zijpendaalseweg (1.4 kilometers at 3.5%). Could the rivals still challenge Christophe Laporte on the 148-kilometer stage?
Arnhem) Arnhem)Breakaway of four, breakaway of thirty
From the start, there were many attacks. Among them was Ide Schelling—racing his final race as a professional—who went on the offensive. However, breaking clear proved difficult. Only after sixty kilometers did we get a breakaway of four. Huub Artz (Intermarché-Wanty), Frederik Frison (Q36.5), Theodor August Clemmensen (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), and Rik van der Wal (Diftar) joined forces and seemed to get the nod from the peloton.
Still, the action didn’t completely die down. Teams like Picnic PostNL, Parkhotel Valkenburg, and BEAT Cycling had missed the move and kept launching counterattacks. As a result, the quartet was caught after ten kilometers on the attack. However, this wasn't by the entire peloton, as a large group—around thirty riders—had broken away. Leader Laporte was alert and present in that group, along with Lukas Kubis and Jakob Söderqvist. The GC favorites were present. Also in the group were riders like Tim Merlier, Danny van Poppel, and Daan Hoole.
Artz, Segaert, and Rogers - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
While Jan Tratnik rode solo ahead of the first peloton, Picnic PostNL led the chase in the second group of riders. After Martijn Rasenberg (Parkhotel Valkenburg) and Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana) attempted to join Tratnik, the groups came back together. Soon, however, a trio went clear again. Artz attacked once more, this time with Alec Segaert (Lotto) and Cameron Rogers (Lidl-Trek). A dangerous trio.
Will the breakaway hold?
Especially the squads from Visma | Lease a Bike didn’t allow the three to get too far and had nearly closed the gap when the bell rang. At that moment, Danny van Poppel made the jump forward. The Dutch champion added firepower to the leaders and pushed the pace higher once again. Approaching Arnhem, the sprinters’ teams also accelerated the peloton. Even leader Christophe Laporte, already assured of overall victory, contributed to the effort in support of Olav Kooij.
Two kilometers from the finish, the four breakaway riders still held a four-second lead. A small margin, but Segaert had something left in his legs. He attacked with 1.5 kilometers to go and opened a small gap. Artz managed to come back, with Van Poppel on his wheel. The peloton could no longer bridge. Van Poppel was perfectly positioned to take the win and calmly finished the job. After Artz passed Segaert, the Dutch champion launched his sprint and stormed to victory.
NIBC Tour of Holland| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 03:03:02 | |
| 2 | " | |
| 3 | + 02 | |
| 4 | " | |
| 5 | + 04 | |
| 6 | " | |
| 7 | " | |
| 8 | " | |
| 9 | " | |
| 10 | " |
