Groenewegen brushes off another Giro setback: 'My shoulder is stiff again'

For the second sprint in a row, Unibet Rose Rockets showed they have everything in order at the Giro d'Italia — but the flowers on the top step are still missing. Sprinter Dylan Groenewegen and lead-out man Elmar Reinders both crashed in the final corner of stage six, but afterwards pride was already starting to take over from the disappointment.

Just before the riders reached that final cobbled corner in Naples, it began to rain slightly. The question of whether conditions had been slippery was met with something less than enthusiasm by Groenewegen. "It was a bit slippery, I think?" he replied — about as far from his comfort zone as you can get.

"We were doing great, but this can happen when it's that slippery. I'm really proud of the team and how they rode. This is bad luck and it's disappointing — but we're already looking ahead with confidence to the next chance," Groenewegen told Eurosport, staying positive.

"We were in a great position to go for the win, but sometimes you have bad luck. Now we recover and then we go again for the next opportunity," the Dutchman said — who came away without serious injury. "My shoulder is stiff again, but it'll be fine, and next time we'll be ready."

Team co-owner Bas Tietema also had his say. "Let's start with the good news. I'm really proud of how the boys rode in the final seven kilometres. We dominated the approach to that last corner — but we didn't win, so we have to keep looking forward. For the sprint stages in particular, this is very promising."

"Everything was really perfect, right until that last bend. What happened? I have no idea. Slippery conditions. Unfortunately," Tietema summarised in Naples, where Niklas Larsen, the Kopecky brothers and Lukas Kubis had all delivered outstanding work in the build-up.

"We come here as a team doing this for the first time and we're doing it very well. I hope the boys can get to finish it off. When they analyse this, they'll come to the conclusion that they rode brilliantly. Now we look ahead to the next chance," Tietema echoed his sprint leader's words.