Van Poppel still smiling despite missed opportunity, Groenewegen furious: "I’m really p*ssed"

In his beautiful red, white, and blue outfit, Van Poppel looked back with mixed feelings in a conversation with NOS. “I was really good, but I got boxed in too much, and then it's over. I was in a good position with Wout (van Aert, ed.) because I knew he would finish well. But in the end, I got pushed out, and then it's over,” was his analysis.

It was a pity because Van Poppel, who is not the purest sprinter, had an uphill finish that suited him. "This final was in my favor, and I felt excellent. I am disappointed because I felt I could have shown something special here. Then they come up on your left and right, and you're trapped in the middle. But the most important thing is that I feel good."

It was clear to Van Poppel quite early on that he would be able to sprint. Meeus dropped out early. “When Jordi dropped out, it was my moment. It was too difficult for him, also with his injuries, so I was already prepared for it.” There is another chance on Sunday, after which the sprinters have to wait until day 17 (!). Has Van Poppel already booked a vacation? “You're a professional, so you try to finish wherever you start. So I'm definitely not thinking about abandoning the race early.”

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Groenewegen was all smiles after the eighth stage. The Dutchman from Jayco-AlUla had not been able to compete for the top spots in the previous two sprint opportunities in this Tour, and 16th place on Saturday was not at all what he had expected. “I was too far back, which is a bit of a bummer. It's a lame excuse, but while everyone else had flat tires, a few slipped out on the roundabout. I was behind them and couldn't get back into position,” he said, his eyes red with frustration.

The NOS managed to talk to him for a moment. "It could have happened today; that's why I'm so disappointed. We knew it was going to be tough with that climb, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. On day 1, I could live with it; there wasn't much more I could do. But now that I'm feeling good, I need to get a result, and it has to happen. It's not great: sometimes, I have to get really angry before I can pull it off. I'm pretty p*ssed right now because just talking about it is a big deal. Tomorrow is another day, and when the curtains open, all eyes will be on me."