{"id":168328,"date":"2025-06-08T19:11:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T19:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/168328\/"},"modified":"2025-06-08T19:11:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-08T19:11:11","slug":"wout-van-aert-told-me-he-was-afraid-they-wouldnt-make-it-when-i-dropped-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/168328\/","title":{"rendered":"Wout van Aert told me he was afraid they wouldn\u2019t make it when I dropped out"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just one week after wrapping up what was a disappointing Giro d\u2019Italia for him, Thymen Arensman<\/a> (INEOS Grenadiers) is already looking ahead. The Dutchman hopes to line up at the start of his very first Tour de France<\/a> in Lille in four weeks, as he told AD<\/a>.<\/b>Arensman began the Giro in Albania with high hopes, but after a string of bad luck, he ended up finishing 29th. \u201cMaybe the final result wasn\u2019t what I wanted but the process, the learnings and most of all the valuable memories we made with the team along the way will last for a lifetime,\u201d he wrote on social media<\/a> after the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take a lot of lessons from the grandtour, but also plenty of positives. Sometimes you can\u2019t control everything, bad luck, an injury, health are always hard to control 100% in cycling. That is what makes cycling so hard and beautiful at the same time. This grandtour it didn\u2019t work out for me personally but I am sure in the future it will. As always a big thanks to everyone at Ineos and my coach,\u201d said Arensman.<\/p>\n

Read more below the photo!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Arensman on the early weeks of the Giro<\/p>\n

From his home in Andorra, Thymen Arensman looked back on his Giro with AD, where he showed vulnerability during the opening weekend. \u201cI\u2019m human, not a robot. I have doubts, and I really wanted to perform well that first day. Then you can start to drive yourself a little crazy. The disappointment comes out, especially right after a time trial, when you\u2019re exhausted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

During the gravel stage to Siena, he showed strong legs again. \u201cWout van Aert told me he was afraid the breakaway wouldn\u2019t make it when I dropped out, because the pace had picked up with me in it. I had amazing legs. That only made it more frustrating when my chain got stuck in the derailleur. I think I could have come close to winning that stage, although in a stage like that, pretty much everyone has bad luck at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more below the photo!<\/p>\n

\"thymen<\/p>\n

Tour on the horizon for Arensman: “Really eager to ride”<\/p>\n

Later in the stage race, crashes derailed Arensman\u2019s chances of a top result. But he quickly reset his mindset: the Tour de France is now calling. \u201cIt\u2019s not 100% confirmed yet, but my coach has included it in my schedule. I really want to ride, it\u2019s time for my first Tour de France. Not as a GC rider, but as a joker who can sometimes go for his own chances and sometimes support team leader Carlos Rodr\u00edguez.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA grand tour without the stress of riding for GC, that\u2019s probably the healthiest option after a Giro like this. In the future, I definitely want to target the GC at the Tour, but there\u2019s no rush. I\u2019m still improving every year, getting closer to the top of the world. And Simon Yates showed in the Giro that if you have the level and keep giving everything, it\u2019ll eventually come together,\u201d Arensman concluded.<\/p>\n