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Follow us on GoogleThe Giro d'Italia's opening three days are done — and the Unibet Rose Rockets have shown they fully belong at this race. On day three, Dylan Groenewegen came agonisingly close to a stage win, only for a split second of hesitation to cost him the stage. Sprint coach Marcel Kittel saw the bigger picture when he spoke to IDL Pro Cycling.
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Where day one had been far from smooth — with Groenewegen eventually crashing while too far forward in the bunch — the sprint train was now firing on all cylinders. Elmar Reinders was able to begin his lead-out from a perfect position and delivered Groenewegen at exactly the right moment — but in the chaos, one moment of hesitation cost him the fastest route to the line: the inside of the bend in the final few hundred metres.
With that section also running across Sofia's city cobblestones, it took Groenewegen a moment to find his rhythm again. He came through powerfully in the final 100 metres, but it was too late. "I should have gone earlier — with around 200 metres to go. I had the speed, so that was just stupid," he said himself after the stage.
Continue reading below the video.
Marcel Kittel interview after Groenewegen's third place in Sofia
Marcel, I think Dylan was clearly the fastest rider out there today.
"Yes, I think so too."
He said it himself: I made a mistake — stupid.
"Dylan hesitated before that left-hand bend. He had to brake or ease off for just a fraction of a second. That's what happened, and that's where you lose exactly the speed you need.
But even when I look at this realistically, I'm extremely positive about it. In the first three days of this Giro d'Italia, we have grown."
Tell us more.
"On day one, the cooperation between the riders wasn't quite at its best yet — it's still a team that needs to bed in a bit more. (In part because of integrating Lukas Kubis and Matyáš Kopecký into the lead-out train, ed.)
I think that by day three we've already shown in an impressive way that we can do this. We're sprinting here against the best teams and sprinters in the world, and we showed ourselves in this finale — which was actually pretty tricky. There were no real bends to use, which makes it a waiting game.
I also have to give credit to Elmar Reinders, who coached the team brilliantly in the finale. That is a really solid foundation, despite the disappointment of not winning. For Dylan, this is an important confirmation."
Continue reading below the photo.
Marcel Kittel and Dylan Groenewegen.
Physically too.
"Absolutely. He is in great shape. The pace he showed at the end was enormous. Dylan is good — and of course he's disappointed, but that disappointment comes from the right place."
He said himself he wasn't fully satisfied.
"Dylan is a top athlete and he doesn't come here to finish third. I completely understand that. But this is our first Grand Tour and we have shown — through control and by taking the initiative — that we matter."
You can build on this?
"Definitely. We'll sit down and go through it calmly — that's what the rest day is for. This is the foundation we want and need to build on ahead of the next sprint opportunity, which will be stage 6 in Naples."
Read also
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026
