15 June 2016, Goes (NED)
Ster ZLM Toer – GP Jan van Heeswijk opened with a fast and flat time trial around Goes which saw Taylor Phinney and Stefan Küng finish second and third respectively for BMC Racing Team.
Phinney and Küng were able find the perfect combination of power and bike handling skills over the technical 6.4km course with both riders setting fastest times before eventually being edged out by today’s winner, Jos van Emden (Team Lotto Jumbo).
Quotes of the Day
Sport director, Jackson Stewart said: ‘It was good. It’s always a weird feeling when you are doing really well and then you don’t win but we definitely can’t be down about how we did today. I think we expected that Taylor and Stefan would be really strong today. I think when you have that calibre of rider on the team you just start to expect strong performances. Of course you still have to work for it and today we were unfortunate not to get the win but that’s how it goes and we gave it everything we had.”
Taylor Phinney said: “I think today went well. It’s such a short stage I don’t really remember most of it but I was having a good time. I haven’t done a prologue in a long time so it was nice to get back out there and it reminded of what I am best at doing on a bicycle.”
“This was the first time I have raced in my national championships skinsuit. I was wearing the one I had made in 2014 but never got to wear because of my broken leg. It felt good to wear it for the first time, two years later. It could have been three seconds luckier though but it was good.”
“We will see how the rest of the race goes. We are all looking forward to some of the hillier stages and I think Stage 4 will be where the race really unfolds. Between Stefan, myself and the rest of the guys, we have a strong team here and spirits are high as we look ahead to the rest of the week.”
Stefan Küng said: “After the Giro I had quite a busy week and then over the last few days I have tried to recover as much as possible. I knew I could be good today but I also knew that I hadn’t prepared specifically for this prologue so I just tried to give it my best. I lacked a little bit of explosivity but apart from that I gave it everything I had but unfortunately it wasn’t enough for the win today.”
“I am feeling good and I am looking confidently ahead to the rest of the race. This prologue got the engine running again for me and with Taylor sitting in second as well, I think we have an opportunity to do well and go for the win at this race. We will try everything to do that.”
Race profile
Ster ZLM Toer – GP Jan van Heeswijk (UCI 2.1)
Stage 1: Goes – Goes, 6.4km ITT
Top 3: 1. Jos van Emden (Team Lotto Jumbo) 2. Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team) 3. Stefan Küng (BMC Racing Team)
BMC Racing Team Top 3:
2. Taylor Phinney
3. Stefan Küng
27. Jempy Drucker
