After struggling to eat throughout the six hours of racing at Il Lombardia, 23-year-old Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Dstny) survived cramps to take seventh in simply his second Monument look.
The Belgian was fully exhausted on the line in Como, opting to lie straight on the tarmac as he tried to get well after a full fuel day within the saddle.
In the long run, he was simply delighted to have made it and never fully capitulated within the last 48km after race winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Group Emirates) attacked solo and left the remainder of the sector in his wake.
“I am comfortable I am right here, I am comfortable I completed. I stated it earlier than, I did not have one of the best legs at present,” stated Van Eetvelt to reporters on the end.
“I used to be actually shocked and I used to be actually afraid of the final climb. My legs had been cramping so exhausting and I am comfortable I’ve made it.”
Van Eetvelt was racing for the primary time since abandoning the Vuelta a España with respiration issues and was nicely within the struggle for the rostrum alongside Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) and Enric Mas (Movistar) after bridging throughout solo on the Colma di Sormano.
Nonetheless, by this level, the results of not having the ability to eat set in and Van Eetvelt started to battle and was barely in a position to supply help to his compatriot and Mas of their chase of Pogačar, earlier than Evenepoel ultimately set off on his personal to take second.
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“In the beginning of the race, I already felt it was perhaps not my greatest day. I used to be a bit of nauseous and had bother consuming so I could not actually eat loads,” revealed the Belgian.
“After three or 4 hours it is nonetheless effective however after 5 or 6 you actually really feel it and I used to be considering perhaps I’d simply should do my very own tempo on the climb after which see.
“However when Tadej went, I attempted to comply with Remco only for myself and for individuals at house as a result of it is the final race of the season so I additionally wished to indicate one thing.”
Upon reflection, there was some remorse in Van Eetvelt’s feedback having tried to stay with Evenepoel for thus lengthy and never simply ridden his personal tempo. This led to him taking seventh within the last having been caught by Pavel Sivakov (UAE Group Emirates) Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) on the descent into Como and dropping the decreased dash.
“On the Colma di Sormano, I used to be shocked that I may comply with Remco for thus lengthy. On reflection it may not have been one of the best thought to strive that, as a result of I did not have my greatest day,” stated Van Eetvelt to house broadcaster Sporza.
“I’d have appreciated to experience with Remco, however I used to be preventing the cramps and I used to be really shocked that I used to be there. I used to be actually on the restrict. Did I take into consideration the rostrum? At a sure level, sure, however I additionally felt my legs.”
It has been an ideal season of ups and downs for Van Eetvelt, who after taking total victory on the UAE Tour and eleventh at Strade Bianche was sidelined for greater than three months after present process knee surgical procedure and being hit by a automobile in coaching. He then bounced again totally with third at San Sebastian earlier than impressing on the Vuelta forward of affected by the respiration issues as talked about.
With this seventh at Lombardia, Van Eetvelt has closed out the European season on a excessive, and his 12 months is not over but as he travels now to China for the ultimate WorldTour race of the season – the Gree-Tour of Guangxi.
“Quite a lot of ups a variety of downs however I am comfortable now I can have an as much as finish the season,” he stated. “I hadn’t raced for a month earlier than Lombardy. So I am nonetheless moderately contemporary on the finish of the 12 months.
