Interview | Eenkhoorn doesn't see Lotto dominance play out: “Kron didn't have to ride”

While Quinten Hermans was overwhelmed by the cold, Eenkhoorn didn't find the weather noteworthy at all. “It wasn't that bad. It was cold in the beginning, but once you're on those local laps, it's okay. We expected the weather to be worse. I think we only had one shower. The rain thinned out quickly, so I don't think it had a big impact on the race,” says the Dutch champion, while devouring a bunch of colorful gummy bears.

“We had Andreas (Kron, ed.) in the front, which was great, and Arnaud (De Lie, ed.) was feeling fantastic”, Eenkhoorn explains about the initially favorable race situation. "Andreas didn't have to lead, he just had to follow. I don't know exactly what happened, but it's a shame that he eventually had to let the two guys in front go. That put us on the defensive. We still did everything for Arnaud and he finished seventh. In hindsight, that's a shame." So, is that a form of miscommunication, did Kron not communicate quickly enough that he wasn't feeling great? "I can't say, because I haven't talked to him about it yet."

Should Lotto-Dstny have put the pressure on sooner, and kept the lead in check? Because now they couldn't close that minute's lead anymore. "That's always difficult, because we don't know how Andreas was feeling at that moment and what the exact situation was. It's always very hectic. In the end, we did bring the pressure, but the ship had already sailed at that point." But Eenkhoorn was satisfied with his own race. "Yes, I felt very good, but Arnaud did too. And then it's clear that we play the Arnaud card. But I’m feeling very good about myself. I did ride a good race, but unfortunately nothing to show for."