Impressive Pluimers ends up between Kooij and van der Poel in echelon spectacle: "That makes it beautiful"

While many riders with shivering bodies quickly sought the bus, Pluimers took his time to answer some questions while leaning against his bike. He wore a winter cycling jacket and joked about the cold. "Fortunately, we have good clothes. I even had to cross the finish line in my warm clothes because I didn't have time to take them off, haha. In the end, it kept me nice and warm, which may have given me the legs I needed in the final sprint."

It perhaps belittles Pluimers' performance because after winning the Muscat Classic, finishing fifth in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and fourth in the uphill sprint on day 3 of the Tirreno, his second place in this sprint was a new demonstration of his top form. "So far, it has been a fantastic season; I am pleased with my form. I am getting closer and closer every time, with good legs. I am showing that I can compete here."

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"Maybe I could have won if Olav hadn't returned a lap earlier," he said with a smile. Kooij chased for a long time but caught up with a strong group 15 kilometers from the finish and the first peloton. "When he's there, and you know how hungry he is, it's just a matter of trying to follow him. Second place for me today was the highest I could achieve. Thanks to Kooij, I also knew whose wheel I had to follow to get a good result."

After Pluimers had reacted attentively to a late attack by Van der Poel, everything went perfectly in the sprint. "On that last steep climb, I tried to keep up and was in a good position. When it became a bunch sprint, I tried to go my own way. I got on Ganna's wheel and thought: if I stay here, I will probably end up in a good position. When he had to brake with 300 meters to go, I shot past Kooij's wheel, and then it was all down to the finish line. I kept sprinting and threw my wheel in front of Mathieu's. That makes this second place very lovely indeed."

Pluimers ended up in the first echelon thanks to his excellent legs. "After that climb (just under 90 kilometers from the finish, ed.), things went a bit sideways, and I think I was in 50th place. I jumped from group to group and ended up in the first echelon. Today, my legs were good. It's a shame that Kooij returned, but that's how it goes in cycling. I'm happy to finish second after such a challenging rainy day."

It shows Pluimers's motivation, as he had already announced to this website earlier this winter that he would get more opportunities with Tudor. That turned out to be an understatement. "I am making good progress and showing that I am developing well. Yesterday, I finished fourth, and today, I finished second, which is not bad in a race like this. Win on the final day? That's more of a real sprint, so with Maikel joining us, we might divide the results differently," he said, referring to Maikel Zijlaard, who, on day 2, had already finished second in a bunch sprint.  

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])