Playing it smart, that's right up Van Baarle and Jumbo-Visma's alley: "Against a rider like Mathieu, sometimes you just have to"

Dylan van Baarle is the new Dutch national champion! The 31-year-old Jumbo-Visma rider broke away strongly in the finals of the Dutch National Championships on Sunday and nobody managed to catch up with him. Afterwards, the man from Voorburg was overjoyed.

"Purely on instinct, actually," Van Baarle described his attack in the last ten kilometers of the race to the gathered press. "One way or another, I just had this feeling. Van der Poel had already made several moves, and I knew I couldn't follow him if he went for it again. I know my strengths and limitations, so I told Olav (Kooij, ed.) to follow Mathieu. That way, I could break away at my own pace."

"If you have to race against a rider like Mathieu van der Poel, sometimes you have to play it smart," stated the cyclist, who had already told his mother before the race that he was feeling good. It sounds simple, and with the form Van Baarle had on Sunday, it may have been. "I had a calm feeling in my body over the past few days, just like last year. I knew my form was coming along nicely, but this wouldn't have been possible without certain guys," referring to all his Jumbo-Visma teammates, who responded everywhere.

Furthermore, Olav Kooij and Robert Gesink were in the early breakaway. "It wasn't the plan for Olav to be in the break, but it worked out perfectly. He had a good locomotive with Robert, and we kept responding well behind them. I could keep myself calm."

Van Baarle proud to bear red, white and blue in Tour de France

"Truly very happy," Van Baarle describes his emotions. It's understandable because we hadn't seen him in front for a while. "Especially after a failed spring season, with lots of bad luck and illness, this feels extra good," he says, referring to a crash in the E3 and his subsequent illness. "The Dauphiné went really well, and then I had a good training camp in Tignes. I can't be anything but satisfied. Getting to wear the red, white and blue in the Tour is a dream."

The winner of the Dutch Championship won't be returning home before starting the Tour de France. Van Baarle, who resides in Monaco, will fly directly from his parents' house to Bilbao, where the Tour de France begins this coming Saturday. There, he is one of the key domestiques for Jonas Vingegaard.

Van Baarle and Kooij celebrate gold and silver

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