Lars Boom came close to victory in the third stage of the Eneco Tour. On the Brouwersdam in Zeeland, the Dutchman of the Belkin Pro Cycling Team escaped with Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and Ariel Maximiliano Richeze (Lampre Merida) in the final kilometre but was narrowly beaten by the two in a sprint. For Boom, however, there was still reason to smile.
“I attacked too early," said Boom about his sprint. "I needed to sit in during the last metres, which was when they passed me. Anyway, if I had waited longer, they would have stayed in my wheel and it would have been difficult to win, as well.”
A stage win would have awarded Boom the leader's jersey, which would have been very welcome with tomorrow's stage in mind. Tomorrow the peloton finishes in Boom’s hometown and birthplace, Vlijmen. "It's a pity I didn't win because I would've been able to enter Vlijmen in the leader's jersey. Nevertheless, it will be a special day, as a pro I have never ridden through Vlijmen.”
Thanks to the bonus seconds that Boom picked up with his third place today, he moved up to second overall. The gap to GC leader Arnaud Démare (FDJ) is only one second, which is encouraging looking ahead to the heavy Ardennes stages. “I gathered some seconds again; that's really motivating when I think of Saturday and Sunday. Although those stages have a totally different character. I may come up with another set of legs for those days.”
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