Mixed feelings for Plugge after second Giro victory: "We win, but we have to say goodbye to a beautiful young woman"

"It's a bittersweet feeling," said Plugge after the final stage in Rome, where Olav Kooij took the third stage victory for Visma | Lease a Bike in this Giro. "We're winning one of the most beautiful races in the world, but we have to say goodbye to a beautiful young woman," he said, referring to the death of Daisy Gesink, the wife of Robert Gesink. “She was always there; it's such a blow.”

"The emotions are so close together: one moment you lose, the next you win," the Dutchman continues. "We've finished the Giro brilliantly: three stage wins and the pink jersey. I couldn't have wished for more, except that someone else could still be with us."

Yet there is also a sense of joy, as this is the team's eighth overall victory in a Grand Tour. "It's fantastic how it turned out. Simon Yates rode consistently for three weeks, and in the end, we showed as a team how to make the race tough."

"We really showed team spirit. It's already our team's fourth Grand Tour winner, so it's truly a team victory," continues Plugge, who has previously won a Grand Tour with Jonas Vingegaard, Sepp Kuss, and Primoz Roglic. "I think that's wonderful. I cherish this victory very much, but it's equal to all the others."

Someone who played a major role in the overall victory was Van Aert, who was one of the keys to success in the stage over the Colle delle Finestre. "Of course, the plan was to get Wout over the Finestre. We knew long ago that it would happen on the last day. Simon had his eyes on it because of the past. 2018 he lost the Giro there, but now he could win it. We seized that opportunity."

"Wout is worth his weight in gold in every way. Yesterday, I saw photos of Wout on the Tour with Jonas Vingegaard on his wheel, and yesterday, it was Yates," the team boss continued. "Simon rode the fastest time ever on the Finestre. But when Wout accelerates in front of you, you must seal the deal."

Next month, the Dutch team will already be facing its next big goal, the Tour de France, in which Yates and Van Aert could play an important role again. "He will now take a break and then gradually build up to the Tour. His role will be slightly different than in recent weeks," Plugge said about Yates.

And Van Aert? The Dutchman also expects him to be very important again. "He's had a great spring, even though he just missed out on a victory. But he's a consistent top rider, so we want to see that again in the Tour. We expect a lot from him."