Thymen Arensman and the fight against himself in Giro opener: "I really wanted to go home, I was so disappointed"
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Follow us on GoogleThymen Arensman lost 95 seconds to most of the GC contenders during stage 1 of the Giro d’Italia, and understandably, the Dutchman was deeply disappointed afterward, especially given how strong he looked just weeks earlier in the Tour of the Alps. The following day, after a solid 15th-place time trial, Arensman reflected on his rough start in Tirana, speaking to IDLProCycling.com and other media outlets.
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“These first two days of the Giro have mostly been a learning experience, I think,” he began. “It’s really been a battle with myself. I don’t know if I’d call it trauma, but… when you start thinking you can’t do it, it becomes a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, if I can say it that way in English.”
“I think that’s really what’s going on. I get in my own head and want it so badly… and then it just doesn’t work out,” Arensman continued. “It sounds dramatic to say ‘demons in your head,’ but it’s really hard to stay calm when you’re fighting yourself. I was so nervous for that first stage, that’s why it happened.”
“But I’m mostly just relieved that stage is behind me,” he added. “It was really hard to pick myself up again, but I tried to just enjoy being here and not take it too seriously. When I woke up, the sun was still shining, to put it that way. It’s really not the end of the world, even though I was incredibly disappointed. You can’t just go home, even if that’s all you want in the moment. That’s not an option. So now, I’ve given everything again. Hopefully it only gets better from here.”
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Arensman felt it getting to his head
“I’m just glad that first stage is behind me,” said Thymen Arensman, who, just like the previous two years, lost time in the first serious uphill stage of the Giro. “I did everything I possibly could to prepare for that stage, and maybe that’s what made me so nervous. I couldn’t stop overthinking it, and then it starts messing with your head.”
“I really wanted to go home, that’s how disappointed I was. But I see it as a process, and every time I go through it, I can only improve. It’ll have its ups and downs, but from here on, I hope this Giro only gets better,” he concluded.
INEOS Grenadiers keeps their confidence in Arensman
Team director Zak Dempster already preached calm on Friday in a chat with IDLProCycling.com. “Of course Thymen was disappointed. He wanted to hang in there, but he also needs to shift his focus back to the time trial and everything that comes with it. It’s only day one of the Giro, and we can’t change what’s already happened.”
“We believe strongly in Thymen,” Dempster added. “He’s shown many times that he’s incredibly strong in the third week of a grand tour. When I look at how hard that final week is, I don’t think we need to worry about those 95 seconds right now.”
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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
- Fair enough if he skips cross this winter. With a newborn on the way, there’s no need to rush back into racing.davidm15-11-2026
- Is “Ovett” Mathieu’s friend who joined him on the training rides? The article mentions him a few times, but I’m not familiar with the name.sprocketspiny15-11-2026
- Eight world titles and now a new chapter off the bike. Hope everything goes smoothly for them!raceready715-11-2026
- Huge news for the world champion. With the baby due in January, I can see why Mathieu’s cyclocross plans are still up in the air—family comes first.jennifer1915-11-2026
- Congratulations to Mathieu and Roxanne! A Costa Blanca proposal after all those training miles sounds pretty special.michael5415-11-2026
- - I’m still learning how cyclocross works: when he says he messed up the start at the Europeans, can a bad start really make that much difference?patriciaw14-11-2026
- - Love that he’s honest about the pressure. Hopefully he can carry this form through the winter.lindae14-11-2026
- - Beating different competition is the key now. Nys is already in the mix, and Van der Poel could make the next step a much tougher one.jennifer1914-11-2026
- - About time—Mason’s been knocking on the door for years. That Niel win could really open things up for him.cadencekingm14-11-2026
- I’m still learning how cyclocross works—does leading the Superprestige mean Mason is top of that race series, rather than the World Cup? Either way, winning in Belgium sounds like a massive result.cadencekingm13-11-2026
