Unknown to the wider public — but not for long: who is ‘Groenewegen slayer’ Kockelmann?

For a long time it looked as though early breakaway rider Arnaud Tendon (Van Rysel Roubaix) would take the win, but he was caught with 150 metres to go. Kockelmann had launched his sprint long before that, and Groenewegen arrived too late: the young Luxembourger threw his wheel in front of the Unibet sprinter’s right on the line. A huge surprise — even to himself.

“It actually wasn’t the plan that I would go for the win,” the fast young rider said in a team press release. “I was supposed to lead out Matys Grisel, as we agreed in the meeting before the stage. I came through on the front, launched my sprint and expected him to come past me in the final ten metres.”

But that didn’t happen. And so Kockelmann realised he had to commit all the way to the line. “I didn’t look back once — I just kept going… until it turned out I’d crossed the line first,” he laughed. “Luckily I still had the reflex to throw my bike forward and that’s how I beat Groenewegen. I’m amazed.”

It isn’t even the first pro win for the still-young Kockelmann, who is making his professional debut this year. Last season, he was given the chance to race from Lotto’s development setup at the Tour of Luxembourg — and on home roads he somehow beat all the fast men on a tough uphill finish. So he’s not only quick, but can also get over a climb.

That victory came on top of some eye-catching results in the U23 ranks. He has also won a stage at the Tour de l’Avenir, while a year earlier he even won a mountain stage at the Orlen Nations Grand Prix. Kockelmann, in other words, looks like a real all-round talent.

Now, at Lotto–Intermarché, he is already measuring himself against the best. “This team is simply going really well — I could feel that already last weekend. When you sense something like that, it’s only a matter of time. You just know: the moment will come. And here we are! We’re currently fourth and fifth on the general classification. Now we’ll try to defend that.”