Can Groenewegen win a Giro stage after third place? 'He came through at incredible pace'

While Dylan Groenewegen was unable to sprint in the first stage of the Giro d'Italia after being caught up in a crash, the Dutchman came agonisingly close in stage three. He was furious with himself afterwards, having made a mistake that cost him the win. Yet former professional cyclist and analyst Roxane Knetemann sees plenty of reason for optimism after his strong display, as she explains on the Dutch-speaking In Het Wiel podcast.

Groenewegen was devastated after stage three. By his own admission, he made a mistake, launching his sprint too late. The speed was clearly there, though — his closing metres were exceptional. "It was too late, and I felt that immediately. This result is encouraging, but next time we want to win," said the Unibet Rose Rockets leader afterwards.

Sprint coach Marcel Kittel, the former world-class sprinter who now guides Groenewegen's development, was able to put a more positive spin on proceedings. "Even when I look at this realistically, I'm extremely positive about it," the German said afterwards, speaking to IDL Pro Cycling.

Knetemann shared that sentiment after watching the sprint battle between Jonathan Milan, Paul Magnier and Groenewegen.

"He does come from out of the slipstream, but he comes alongside so fast. After today, I'm almost certain he's going to win a stage," she said confidently. "He came through at incredible pace." For Knetemann, stage three was also proof that the Dutch sprinter has suffered no real ill effects from his crash on day one. "He's just f***ing good."

The Dutch analyst also believes the experience has woken something in Groenewegen. "An angry Groenewegen is the most dangerous Groenewegen — but a Groenewegen who felt that he was actually the fastest is even more dangerous." Fortunately for him, there are still several sprint opportunities left in this Giro.

"I understand his emotion. This was just a missed opportunity." It is something that is particularly hard for sprinters to come to terms with. "They do what they do because they simply want to win. When that doesn't work out, you get Groenewegen at the microphone like we saw him today," she said, referring to the Dutchman's post-race interview.

"He needs to win one of these, of course — he feels that too. And if he wins one, he might just win more." What's more, Groenewegen had a superb lead-out from his team. "He also feels that everyone in the team did their job perfectly — except him," AD journalist Daniël Dwarswaard added on the podcast.

With stage six on Thursday in Naples, Groenewegen and Unibet Rose Rockets may well have their next chance to set things right.