Arensman hurries into team bus, heavily disappointed, but INEOS remains courageous after huge setback

Thymen Arensman started the Giro d'Italia with a major setback. The Dutchman – who, while supporting Geraint Thomas at INEOS Grenadiers, was aiming for the general classification for himself – immediately lost over two minutes in the first stage. IDLProCycling.com was at the team bus to capture post-race reactions.

It's well known that Arensman is a diesel, usually needing time to get going in a grand tour. When he got his sixth place in the 2022 Vuelta (back when he was still part of Team DSM), one week into the race he was nearly six minutes behind leader Remco Evenepoel. In the second and third weeks, he cranked up that engine, and thanks partly to a stage win, he impressively soared into the top ten. A similar pattern was observed in his sixth place at last year's Giro. On the opening day, Arensman lost a minute and a half in the time trial, his preferred discipline, no less... He came back and credited an excellent third week for another top ten finish.

And yet: on day one of the Giro, Arensman was dropped by the other favorites early on when things got tough in the finale. The damage at the finish: 2 minutes and 17 seconds. Despite a vigorous sprint off the bike, he did not feel like giving IDLProCycling.com an initial reaction. Arensman parked his bike in front of the team bus entrance in a hurry and immediately went inside. His heavy disappointment was obvious. After some reflection and time to cool down, he re-emerged. The good people of INEOS immediately took care of the Dutch climber.

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INEOS Grenadiers counting on Arensman in final Giro week

A false start, that much was clear. On the first climb of the Bivio di San Vito, Arensman was still in the mix, but when UAE-Team Emirates increased the pace on the Colle della Maddalena, he was the first major casualty. At a staggering 26 kilometers from the finish line, we saw him drop back and, perhaps even more notably, none of his INEOS teammates waited for him. "I saw that he was at the back of the group and said over the radio that I saw him falling back. However, Thymen is a fighter, he had to continue towards the finish line at his own pace," Magnus Sheffield told our website.

"In a grand tour, you face ups and downs, but there's still a long way to go to Rome," the young American concludes, invoking a perfect cliché. Sports director Oliver Cookson is also not worried about the huge blow Arensman suffered. "We are in a process with him and have a lot of confidence in Thymen. We know how strong he is in the last week and we know that this is a race where everything can still be turned around later on. We need to stay calm, he had to manage his effort, and then we know how good Thymen is and will be. He has a huge engine and we will definitely see that in action in this Giro."