Bruyneel pinpoints what cost Groenewegen the stage win: 'That's where sprint battles are decided'

Dylan Groenewegen came so close to his first ever Giro d'Italia stage win. Unibet Rose Rockets very nearly pulled it off in stage three, only to have to settle for third place in the end. But for former Grand Tour-winning directeur sportif Johan Bruyneel, it was reason for optimism. Speaking on the THEMOVE podcast, the Belgian also cast his eye over the misfortunes of UAE Team Emirates-XRG and what those losses mean for their race.

Stage three, from Plovdiv to Sofia, was a fairly processional affair — until the final kilometres, when the Unibet Rose Rockets lead-out took control and delivered Groenewegen in a perfect position. The Dutchman waited just a fraction too long to launch, though, and Jonathan Milan and Paul Magnier came past him. His jump came too late.

According to Bruyneel, it was Magnier who made the smartest tactical call on the day. "Magnier was in a great position. Unibet Rose Rockets did a great lead-out, but Groenewegen was a little surprised by Milan coming over the top at high speed. And he lost the fight with Magnier for Milan's wheel. That's where sprint battles are decided."

The young Frenchman took his second stage win in three days — a remarkable start for the 22-year-old, who is finally winning at the highest level with Soudal Quick-Step. "I'm not surprised that Magnier won. He's incredibly motivated, the team is doing a great job. Two out of three for him — a great start."

Magnier will be the firm favourite again whenever a sprint finish comes around, but Groenewegen looks to be his most dangerous challenger after what he showed in Bulgaria. "He was disappointed in himself, because he was here to win. But he came back with a lot of speed," Bruyneel analysed. "He blamed himself for waiting too long. But he can definitely win a stage at this Giro."

For UAE Team Emirates-XRG, those opportunities have narrowed sharply. The team were the biggest casualties of the stage two crash, with Jay Vine and Marc Soler both hospitalised with serious fractures. The following day, team leader Adam Yates also abandoned. It is a devastating blow, but the Giro can still be salvaged, Bruyneel believes.

He acknowledges, however, that the bad luck piling up on UAE has only grown. "Let's see what happens with them. There are plenty of opportunities for their riders, but they need to make the switch. For some of them it could be a wonderful three weeks — but things don't always go the way you want. UAE were already hampered by bad luck before the Giro. Three more riders have now been added to that list."

With the three main men out of the picture, the former US Postal team director is looking primarily to the team's younger riders as potential stage hunters. "Someone like Jan Christen has a lot of ambition. It could still be two great weeks for him. The same goes for António Morgado. I don't like it when people say they want to win stages: start by winning one."