Second place Charlotte Kool fumes at 'unsportsmanlike' sprint, and Eneco Tour prize money controversy: 'It's about the principle'

Charlotte Kool was furious as she stood by the podium at the Eneco Tour on Wednesday afternoon. The Dutch sprinter from Fenix-Premier Tech was obstructed in the sprint to such an extent that she couldn’t win Stage 1. To add insult to injury, there was also news about the prize money in the Dutch stage race.

Kool and Fenix-Premier Tech took control of Stage 1 in Ede on Wednesday and single-handedly ensured it would be a bunch sprint. However, Kool finished second after Barbara Guarischi (SD Worx-Protime) forced her toward the barriers, meaning she was made to slow down considerably.

Sandrine Tas (Lotto-Intermarché) won, Kool finished second, and immediately gestured angrily at Guarischi.

"I haven't seen the footage yet, but of course I saw it with my own eyes. I don't know; if you lose fair and square, then that's just the way it is. But the way this happened, I do think it's very unsportsmanlike," said Kool, who was clearly biting her tongue.

"I try to push a little harder in moments like that, but I’m not going to risk my life with those fences over there.”

Guarischi started her sprint in the middle of the road and finished all the way on the left. “And I know she’s not the type to give up, so yeah…,” said Kool, who called finishing in second place “especially disappointing” because of that.

“The team worked so hard to even get it to a sprint. Then you want to finish it off, so it’s painful when it’s taken away from you like that.”

The fact that Guarischi was ultimately allowed to keep her third-place finish in the day’s results was, to say the least, remarkable. The jury report made no mention whatsoever of the Italian rider being disqualified.

Kool reflected on how she felt in the race as a whole, after a long and successful first season with Fenix-Premier Tech.

"It's hard for me to say how good I still am, because last week I felt really, really bad. Luckily, I'm doing much better now, but at the end of the season, you always have to squeeze out whatever's left in you. I don't know what this week will bring. "In any case, I’ve had a really good and consistent year with Fenix-Premier Tech, and I’m truly happy about that."

So far, at least, the Eneco Tour hasn’t brought Kool any luck. On Tuesday in the prologue, she got off to an early start and posted the fastest time. She held the hot seat for hours, but was ultimately overtaken in the final 15 minutes by Lieke Nooijen of Visma | Lease a Bike. This also earned her a second-place finish, just as it did in Stage 1. The blue jersey for the points classification was merely a consolation.

And then, on Wednesday morning, Kool put out a post on her Instagram story about a passage in the Eneco Tour roadbook.

It stated in black and white: the winner of the men’s prologue earned 1,490 euros on Tuesday evening, while the women’s winner received only 220 euros. This trend is also reflected in the upcoming stages and the general classification bonuses.

"Same start time, same distance, and same energy," Kool wrote, adding: "I wonder if the women get a discount on energy in the Eneco Tour." When confronted with that statement, Kool said after the first stage: “It’s not about the money for us; that’s just a small bonus. It’s more about the principle—that it’s a little strange.”

Because, as she explained: “It was said with a bit of a wink, because it’s obviously a bit hypocritical for the Eneco Tour to promote the idea that men and women are on equal footing here, when there’s such a difference in prize money.”