Campenaerts has generous reason to hope for overall victory: 'The right karma, the right motivation'

Campenaerts took the bull by the horns and attacked relatively early in the third stage. “It was a great race; we came here with a very strong team. Of course, we wanted to win this stage, but it’s always hectic on such a short course,” he said in the flash interview. “Taking the lead in the general classification is also very prestigious, and we’ll defend it.” Mick van Dijke won. The two had shaken hands earlier.

Campenaerts explains, “Everyone lost a bit of control over the race, including us. I tried to break away from the pack—it’s easier that way. But it didn’t work out. We worked well together, and I said, ‘We have to keep riding like this, or Tietema’s guys behind us will win.’” It would have been nice to win, but now we can both be happy. Besides, this is my first time wearing the leader’s jersey.”

Moreover, leading the standings goes beyond the personal. “We were very motivated, right from the first stage. We announced that we wanted to support the charity ‘A Bike for Every Child.’ That’s why we all came onto the podium riding children’s bikes. That evening, we were sitting around the table. We said, “Why don’t we donate all of this week’s prize money?”’

"Everyone said wholeheartedly, 'Yes, let's go for this!'" Campenaerts hopes to make a meaningful contribution this way. “For us, it’s a small difference, but for the children, it can make a big difference. It’s super cool, but of course we’ll have to win some prize money. Right now we’re leading the standings, and we have to defend that position so we can donate a nice sum of prize money to charity.”

Robert Gesink is attending on behalf of Visma | Lease a Bike to support the cause. “I enjoy dedicating myself to a good cause, and being back in the Netherlands,” the Varsseveld native said earlier. The same goes for Campenaerts. Hopefully, this initiative will bring him and Visma | Lease a Bike some good karma.

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"Who knows, who knows," laughs the Belgian. "The right karma, the right motivation: always a good thing. Cycling means being the first to cross the finish line, but we also need to entertain and inspire. Hopefully, this gesture will inspire others. In any case, it gives us a warm feeling to know that we can contribute to that through our performances. We’re having fun, but we also want to give back to society.”