A 6 day stage race in the Netherlands. It started with a 1.8km prologue. This short TT would never suit me so I gave it my best and put myself in a fairly good position overall.
The second stage was the criterium, 44km in total. It was an Incredibly intense race but I still managed to finish high up in the sprint, barely avoiding a nasty crash.
The third stage was the Classic, the longest race (91km) and featuring difficult cobbled roads. The cross winds split the peloton in the first 5km and I managed to put myself in a breakaway of 13 others. We pushed on hard as the rain rolled in. I fished 7th on the stage and moved up onto 11th overall.
Stage four was a 13km TT. Battered from the day before and lack of TT experience meant it was a day of suffering for me. I lost some time in GC and dropped a few positions.
The fifth stage was the Omloop, 60km on narrow roads and a small cobble section. I went on a solo attack 3 laps to go to chase a duo ahead, it took a while but once I did I had a large gap over the peloton. Us three were joined by another four and pushed on towards the finish. Games were being played in our group as people skipped turns for the stage win and the bunch behind rapidly closed onto us. I pulled longer turns and subsequently lost the legs for the sprint. Barely missed the podium spot finish 4th on the stage, but fortunately gained time on the overall standings.
The final stage is another Criterium on very skinny roads. Two major crashes caused the race to be neutralised until the group reformed. When it did the hard pace resumed, too fast to attack from. I finished 12 in the stage and secured 12th overall which I’m pleased with considering how flat the terrain was.
Now ready for my next big race, Junior Tour of Wales