Thymen Arensman takes Algarve lessons into Strade Bianche: “I dropped my head on the final climb”

Arensman started the decisive final stage to Alto do Malhão sitting fifth in the general classification, helped by a strong time trial earlier in the race. In the end, he had to settle for ninth overall. Team-mate Oscar Onley came close to taking the stage win and finished fourth in the final standings, while Kévin Vauquelin ended the race in fifth.

“Happy with this week! I saw a super-strong team, I’m really satisfied with my time trial performance and how I felt during the race,” Arensman wrote on social media. “I’m definitely taking a lot of positives to the next race,” referring to Strade Bianche.

Arensman also offered a clear explanation for why he lost time in the finale. “A flat tyre on the run-in to the final climb, a bad position, not my best legs and a tough climb for me was not a good combination,” he said. “I dropped my head on the final climb after I tried to help Oscar as much as I could.”

“I’m taking the lessons with me and I’ll remember all the positive points from this week. I made big steps over the winter and I’m really happy to start the season like this. Back home now — rest, reset, and keep building. It’s a pleasure to race with this team! See you at Strade,” Arensman concluded.

Onley was INEOS Grenadiers’ best rider on the final day and narrowly missed out on the stage victory. “It can be hard to come back, so I tried to open a gap early,” the Scot explained. “And I felt Juan Ayuso coming — he was simply stronger. Overall I’m really happy with the day and with the team,” he told CyclingProNet.

“We raced really actively, and with Kévin Vauquelin we made a very good move — that’s exactly why I wanted to join this team, to be able to play the race like that. Maybe we don’t have the single strongest rider, but with our strengths together we can make things happen.”

“I think there’s definitely room for improvement,” Onley added. “I usually take a step forward after racing a few days, so hopefully I’ll already be better for Paris–Nice in a couple of weeks. But yes — things are going well.”