Arensman passes his first test — but: 'I never want to hear that sound again'

As one of the few teams to come through stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia unscathed, Netcompany INEOS had good reason to feel relieved. The British squad had positioned themselves on the right-hand side of the road and avoided the carnage when a large portion of the peloton went down on the left side 23 kilometres from the finish in Veliko Tarnovo. Thymen Arensman lost no time and spoke to IDL Pro Cycling among others afterwards.

At Netcompany INEOS, it was Filippo Ganna who led the train on the right as bikes and riders clattered down on the other side of the road.

"If it's scary to watch on TV, just imagine what it's like when you're in the middle of it," Arensman began. "We were lucky and we were on the right side — but it could just as easily have been the other way round."

"There was sand all over the road — but you get that in southern Italy too. We'd been talking about it — me, teammate Magnus Sheffield and sports director Geraint Thomas — and we said to each other: I never want to hear that sound again. God..." The Dutchman visibly shuddered as he spoke at the team bus.

After a brief neutralisation, racing simply had to continue. "They were talking about waiting for an ambulance, and honestly those are pretty strange scenes in this sport. Then suddenly the car drives off again and you just have to race," Arensman reflected.

There is no time to stop and process it. "This is such a brutal sport. If you're still sitting on your bike shaking afterwards, you'll find yourself at the back before you know it and your race is over. Then you can forget about your GC ambitions too. It is what it is — you just have to keep going."

On the final climb Arensman lost no time to his rivals, leaving him well-placed after two days. "I tried to ride as hard as I could up the climb and it went well. I did lose a few positions near the bottom when I got out of the saddle on a bend. When Jonas attacked I was a bit too far back. But I survived it well, I think," said the Dutchman, who like co-leader Egan Bernal also picked up bonus seconds and now sits fourth overall.

What follows after 221 kilometres through Bulgarian rain? The part no one sees. After the stage, Arensman and his teammates had to quickly spin down, pack their things and endure a three-hour transfer to the next hotel. "There's basically no time for a massage."