NEVER LOSE HOPE: Our Giro Story – Inside The Beehive

A first stage win in a Grand Tour, crashes, eight days in the white jersey, illness, but above all: a team that never loses hope. Our Giro d’Italia was full of mixed emotions.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike entered the first Grand Tour of the year with the goal of winning as many stages as possible. Relive from within the team how we worked towards the first stage win in a Grand Tour by our homegrown talent Olav Kooij. See how the team coped with the withdrawals of Robert Gesink, Christophe Laporte, Kooij and white jersey wearer Cian Uijtdebroeks. And how Jan Tratnik, Tim van Dijke, Edoardo Affini, and Attila Valter never lost hope on the road to Rome.

We need to gamble now. We need to gamble a bit now. Come on, Olav. It’s a very good looking situation for Narváez. This has a chance. The gap continues to grow. One-and-a half kilometres to go. He’s going to make it. Now, it’s surely Jhonatan Narváez’ day again. Behind they go. Behind they put the power down… …but it’s going to be a very breathless chase. Narváez is still there. 350 metres to go. The Ecuadorian flags fly. Consonni now launches. He’s close to the finish line, he might get it. It’s going to be heartbreak for the second year in a row. One more breathless finish… …and here comes Milan! – Yes! For me especially… It’s always special to be at the start of the Giro. It’s my own country. I already visited this race when I was a kid… …and now I’m participating. That is really nice. It’s the first Grand Tour the year, so everybody is excited to see what’s going to happen. I think that next to the Tour de France, this is the biggest race in the world. Normally we are used to work for one GC rider. This year it’s a little bit different. There aren’t many times where we are not the favourite, so we should also enjoy it in a way… …because when you are the favourite, you have a lot of stress. My goal is to be as high as possible in the GC… …So yeah, just fighting every day. Maybe the young riders’ jersey, if that is an option. That would be a dream already. Hopefully I can share a little bit of my do’s and don’ts of professional cycling with Cian… …which I learnt throughout the last 18 seasons already… …and help him along in his quest to do as good as possible in his first Giro. Also with all the best moments we have had during the last weeks and months… …we are still one of the strongest teams in the world. We can win races and we can be good in classifications. Even when some of our biggest leaders are out… …we still are there and we perform. The evening before the second big goal of the team… …and the first Grand Tour of the year. Last year, we have been starting every Grand Tour with the big goal of going for the overall victory. This year, we are going to do something different. We are going to try to win as much stages as possible. Trying to win a stage. That’s the main objective for me and that’s what we aim for. I think that we are ready, so we are going to give it our all. I think that we are ready. We will just give it our all. What are we going to do today? The plan and the idea is: The most important is to have Cian finish in the same time as the winner. We will work for that. Also Jan and Attila can try what is possible today. But with the remark: when you feel that it’s not for today… …then the most important thing is that we support Cian. Pogačar made his move. He was followed and tracked. Sticking to his back was Jhonatan Narváez. Cian survived the first stage really well. He was always where he needed to be and he felt really good. The plan that he had in his head and where we spoke about, he did that. He finished with the other GC favourites… …so in this stage, job well done for him. Class. Well done, man. The legs felt good. I was too far back on the last hill… Then there were some gaps. – You have to close those. I’m not that punchy, so when I closed it they were gone. In the end… The legs felt good, so for tomorrow… That suits me more. It’s more climbing and it’s longer. I look forward to tomorrow. The guys rode really well. Also Christophe… …he really helped me. When you’re riding there with the European champion positioning you… …I thought ‘what am I doing?’ That’s so nice. Is Robert doing fine? Robert was involved in a crash. Something crashed into his bike. Then he fell and hit his hand. We need to check my writs. – We’re going to take some X-rays. I couldn’t find an X-ray yet. – Have you seen Karel already? Yes, he’s looking for an X-ray. Where are you hurt the most? – The wrist. This is already difficult. Can you squeeze it? – No. After X-rays, it turned out that Robert broke his hand. After day one, we have to already continue without him. He already knew that this Giro would be his last Giro of his career. That we don’t have him there anymore is a big blow. Today. Day Two We go to Oropapa – Oh, boy. Bad song. 161 kilometres For today, the most important thing is that we have Cian in a good position… …and that we protect him throughout the day, so he can perform at his best on the final climb. And that we do it as a group. Then it’s up to you, Cian. On the final climb. Go for it. All out to the finish. We lost Robert yesterday, but still we have Jan and Attila… …they can be there for a long time. In the past couple of times that the Giro finished on Oropa… the guys that went early, they got a kickback later on the climb. So we want to be a bit conservative. That is also the way in which we go into the stage. Olav crashed badly on his knee. That’s something he will feel in the upcoming stages. Attila also crashed in the final. He hit a back wheel and he crashed. He was strong enough to come back… …so he was able to be there towards the bottom of the climb with Cian and Jan. But at that moment, he needed to search for his own pace. …but Jan was still there to support Cian. Is it bad? Scratches? Yes…I feel my knee. Take a shower and come take a look later. Cian did a great performance on Oropa. If you look to the whole opening weekend… It was not the weekend that suited his qualities the best. In stage one, he already did a really good job… …but also on Oropa he showed that he is among the best climbers. He did a great performance. It’s my first jersey in a Grand Tour, so it’s amazing for me. It’s nice that we have the jersey… The guys helped me so much today. – Sure. Then it’s nice to… …That it hasn’t been for nothing. To be placed fourth in GC after two hard days… …in the white jersey… …I think it’s more than we expected. We are very happy with that. And Olav? Is he okay? It seems he’s okay. Altough he was in a lot of pain, so… And Attila? That seems fine as well. It was good. The guys supported me all day long… …so that was amazing. Today. First sprint chance. 166 kilometres The goal for today… …we start with the idea that we go for Olav today. We sprint with him. It’s a good final for us. I think a lot of lead-out guys will have problems with the hills… …I think we need to be confident in the power we have. Christophe is well-positioned. Olav as well. Perfect. You are with the two of you, Christophe and Olav. You are with the two of you in front. Really good. Pogačar’s here. This is where things mightily get really interesting, because Geraint Thomas is forced to react. And the sprinters are suddenly stunned. Three kilometres to go. It’s all happening again in the Giro. Will they cooperate with Honoré? The answer is yes. They will keep riding. Will it be enough in this final run of 1200 metres to the line? Here we go. It’s Lund who’s launching it out. Lund through the centre. Vernon’s not far away. Dainese is there as well. On the right hand side it’s Milan. Milan’s there! They go all to the line. It’s Merlier! Tim Merlier, who has it on the left hand side. Merlier… I didn’t expect that on this final. Olav is sixth. And? – Nothing. I wanted to go on the left, but it didn’t open there. I had to go to the right, but then I already lost the speed. I was quite happy with the feeling after the crash. It’s not perfect, but I didn’t have too many problems. I hope it will get back to normal in the upcoming days. We were already happy that he could sprint. That he was ready to sprint… …that he was part of the sprint in the end… So, happy that Olav is in the mix again. Let’s hope for tomorrow. From now on, we can only do better because we have a really good team for this. We should be able to do it better than yesterday. So, a sprint with Olav is the goal today. We also want Cian to finish in the same time, just like yesterday. If you look at the last three kilometres, or from the top with the straight part… …that’s a really important part. Also remember that, because it’s going down and with the wind, it’s almost like sprinting. It will be really fast. So, don’t hesitate if we are too far back. When you have an opening and we need to move up, just go fast… …there we can find the space Perfect. Andiamo. It levels off again for a few hundred metres. A chance to build a little speed and then the grading goes up again. There’s an attack by Ganna! Filippo Ganna has gone. They’re on the ascent all the way to Andora and it will pass in a flash. Special, huh? That’s a big gap. It’s going hard on the downhill… We can see here a lot of riders appear across the road. The lead-out men are going to take it up at 1.2 kilometres. We see the gap. It looks good, but in the final run to the line it’s going to be difficult for Ganna. I do think they will catch him. Ganna in front, about to be caught. The lead-out men ready to launch their fast men. There they go. There they go with two. Look. Approaching 400 metres to go. Just passed a nasty roundabout. It’s Ganna who’s drifting back. Here at the front now it’s Laporte who’s leading out Kooij. Come on, Christophe. Come on! Come on! Milan on the wheel as well. On the left hand side it’s Merlier coming from a long way back. It’s Milan at the front, but can he last? Merlier’s getting to the front again. Look at him go in Ciclamino. Milan’s lasting. Milan makes it! Damn… From the front… Great job, boys. Great job. We are on a way up and hopefully this will lead to something nice tomorrow. Bit more than a kilometre now… …bit more than a kilometre. We have to be careful that we don’t get too involved in the fight for the points… …so that we don’t lose too much energy. We are doing a lead-out for the whole day now. Just stay in position, so Olav can compete. We must not do more than necessary. Dammit. We are coming. Easy, Maarten. Come. Let him ride for now. It will be fine. The most important thing is that he didn’t suffer a fracture. Visma… Attila. Attila. Attila crashed. – Get out of the car. Attila! Give me your bike. Benjamin Thomas wins stage five and it could hardly have been closer. And? – The breakaway made it. How was Christophe? I didn’t see him after the crash. It didn’t sound good. It’s a bruise. A contusion. It’s going to take some time. I will give you something for it. Shit, Christophe… But we are going to help you get through the night. See how you will feel tomorrow. It’s not been a lucky week for us so far. I’m going to be the biggest one… The biggest one? Yes, with the most of… – Oh, bandages. Tomorrow will be a stressful day again. – Yes. For that reason, I have some stress. – I understand. Because there I will need someone to guide me. – Yes. Will you crack that? – It’s over here, right? Wait a second, Marc. Are you ready? – Yes. There you go. For today: keep Cian safe. Protect him throughout the day… …and we will make sure together that he is ahead of trouble. That can occur during a stage like this. Cian showed his level again. How sharp he is, how confident he is. He could immediately react to the attack of Bardet. And he reached the top among the six best riders. He can also tick that off and we can look to the upcoming days. Good job, mate. – Amigo! So amazing. Thank you so much, really. With the few guys we had… …they did it perfect. Attila, hats off. Uphill I felt among the strongest. Also on the gravel sectors I felt pretty relaxed. We are with Cian. – Yes. So we can discuss the time trial. The time trial, until the foot of the climb… you have to assume that it’s forty minutes. So you should have a wattage in mind that you can sustain for forty minutes… …and be sure you can go a little bit harder. In the morning I didn’t feel so great, but during the race I felt really good. – Top. Well, recover well and have fun tomorrow. – Will do. Three. Two. One. There we go, Cian. Come on. Perfect. Back in position and to the right hand side of the road… …and go aero. You make a big difference here. Keep fighting now. 200 metres and we have a right corner, where you start the cobbles. Now it’s flat. Give it everything now. All out now! You’re at Edo’s time. Super. Come on! One long sprint to the finish. One long sprint to the finish. Keep going. Come on. Super great, Cian! Cian Uijtdebroeks, you lose the white jersey by a few seconds… …but you rode a stong time trial. You finish inside the top 20. Yes, that’s positive. In the end I think it was a good effort. We saved it. We didn’t lose too much time. Christophe needs to stop… …and that’s really shit. But that is the situation. He told it himself already… …but for sure, for the sprint stages, it’s shit that he isn’t there anymore. But that is for tomorrow. First today, we have a hard day to come. The goal is that we go for the breakaway with Jan and Attila. The others protect Cian and keep him in position. That is for the guys who are still in the group. For sure, towards Prati di Tivo, it’s important to have you in position. All the time be ready. Be ready with everything that you have. Because at one moment, the attacks will come. The first attack is going to come from Antonio Tiberi. The game kicks off now… Pogačar doesn’t want to let anything go. He himself is going to try to respond to this. The group is exploding. Come on, Cian. Now we fight to the finish. One and a half kilometre to go. Come on. Uijtdebroeks goes with him. Rubio is there as well. Tiberi well… I didn’t have him on my bingo card as first to attack. Well played. You’re doing it perfect. 1500 metres to go and now it’s going to be a question: who is going to continue to ride at the front? I don’t think anybody will keep that pace high… …it will be intense. You have saved already a lot of energy. Way more than Tiberi. Uijtdebroeks is obviously going to be marking Tiberi. 21 seconds between them in the white jersey classification. The big explosion is coming. Be ready for that. And also, when you feel the moment is there then just go. Tiberi goes once more. He looks around, tries to survey where Uijtdebroeks is. We go all out to the line. We sprint full gass to the line. Come on, Cian. Finish this great day in a good way. Come on. There’s a gap. It’s the never ending Pogačar show! Giro d’Italia stage 8 again goes to the pink jersey. Good job. – Thanks, you too. These guys attack so explosively… …and normally that’s not my thing, but I was able to follow well. It’s still two weeks. The last week will be something else. We had a unique performance with the team today… …nobody crashed. I think we should put that in the record book later. Made it through today okay? – Yes. I had the same in the time trial yesterday: my lungs were on fire at the start. That’s really… I don’t know… It has something to do with that cold, but… Go through this day and on to tomorrow. How do you look at it? If you want to win the sprint, you need to be in position on those climbs …In between, I should be able to move up with the help of the guys. For me, getting to the sprint is a bigger challenge than the last kilometre per se. Today, we normally have another stage that ends in a sprint. It’s a long day. 214 kilometres to Naples. It’s a hard final. That’s for sure. The moment we enter Naples at 171 kilometres… From that moment, Attila, you should focus on Cian. and Jan, Tim, Edo and Olav: you stay together. There will be attacks. It’s going to be difficult to catch them. – That is true. Like i said: that’s not up to us. We just need to focus on getting into a good position… …that will improve our chances. Everything is possible in a final like this… …because you never know what is happening in front, if there is cooperation or not. It can be a big gap after the descent, but it can also dissapear because of the headwind in the final kilometre. So always keep the trust. Always keep believing in it. And if there is a thing you’re good at, then it’s finding your way in the final. Are you going to discuss the intermediate sprint? With Olav? – Yes. I would make sure that Tim knows what he has to do. Look, Olav… We don’t have to. He told us he didn’t feel that good in the start… …that his lungs were on fire… …but now he’s doing better. The rest day… That will do some good. Tricky, twisty and turning… always a little bit slippery the roads down here in the South. Risks being taken by Narváez, but behind Lidl-Trek is still leading the chase. We need to gamble now. Come on, Olav. These roads are made for racing. We can see the gap. A very good looking situation for Narváez. Yes, Olav is in the group. Olav is in the group. Come on, now we make it to the sprint. The gap continues to grow. One and a half kilometres to go. This is the man who wore the first Maglia Rosa… …the opening stage went to him… …and the Maglia Rose himself is ready to get involved in the lead-out, but it might be too late. Perfect position. Come on, Pogačar. He’s going to make it. This surely is Jhonatan Narváez’ day again. Behind they go, behind they put the power down… …but it’s going to be a very breathless chase. He takes it. Narváez is still there. 350 metres to go. The Ecuadorian flags fly. Consonni now launches. He’s close to the finish line. He might get it. It’s going to be heartbreak for the second year in a row maybe in Naples. Let’s see. 150 metres to go! One more breathless finish. The sprint is launched… Yes! I’m so proud of you, man! That was class. – So great, man! This was the step I was looking for after quite some wins already. This win was really one I was dreaming of. Today we had to fight for it… …because it was a really tough final. …but the team really committed, although we weren’t sure before. Because of the guys I was able to be in position… …and to take the win. Congrats! Nice, right? After such a week… I had goosebumps. So, we can go home now, right? He’s happy. – Beautiful. Mick is here as well! I felt really bad halfway through the stage. – That’s not your style… Indeed, I hardly ever say that actually…. …even if I feel a little less. I wanted to try it for sure… …so when I passed the first climb, I was in the final. Nice, right. I heard you say to Jan: ‘I’m on the limit’. Then you came exactly, but I was just a bit too far…. – Great, right? I do know what to do. – Sure. Nice, mate! – This was goosebumps. I saw you on the big screen… I couldn’t believe it. You know, the beautiful thing is… …I was there at the early days of the Development Team. We win a race in Eastern Europe and here and there… …and now we win a stage in the Giro. A really special day. I also thought about when Tim and me joined the Development Team. One of the things we had to do, was to write down our dream goals. I almost didn’t dare to write down winning a stage in a Grand Tour… …because it still felt really far away. Those years… Thanks to a lot of people that are not here. We came closer… …and I think today, with a special thanks to you guys and the staff, we achieved that… …So for that: thank you. We have the situation with Olav… …which we are not sure how it will be. With fever… It’s never good in the long term. No, but the medical staff will take that decision this evening. We have to wait and see. Good luck. – Thanks. I think that every other decision would have been wrong if we look at the long term consequences. Yesterday’s fever… …but also how I felt last night and this morning… …it wouldn’t work. Sadly. Safe trip. – Thanks, I will be watching. It’s really shit. Really, really shit that he is not there anymore… For him, but also for us. So, the beginning of week two. We want to keep Cian safe. That’s something we have to do together. But we will also try to be in the breakaway with Jan or Attila… …because today could be the chance. It all depends on what UAE is going to do. Yes, we are coming. I know. But like you said, Jan: The chance will come, just switch now. But it’s good that I see the situation. – Yes. It’s not done yet. Jan, great job that you are there. Be conservative there. There’s Fiorelli. There’s Tratnik… There is another rider in third position. It looks like it’s Bagioli. He dares to continue I think. It looks like Jan keeps going. Yes, he continues now. I think that sprint sparked it off. But now we see Tratnik moving. He’s trying to get a headstart before the climb. Trying to get ahead of the game. There is Tratnik, who is looking around. He probably wants some company. Well, look at the gap now. That would be something. – That would be something. 22 kilometres for Jan Tratnik, former Slovenian champion… …and Giro d’Italia stage winner. If he can keeps this pace, they won’t catch him anymore. JanTratnik on the front of the Giro d’Italia, looking to pick up a second stage win in his career. He’s got 45 seconds. He’s on some form isn’t he? Fourth overall at the Tour of the Alps. Fuck. There is Jan already. Damn. He’s standing still. Straight on to Tratnik, and it’s only taken him a few hundred metres. Straight on to him. Straight past him. Oh, you have to feel for Jan Tratnik. Valentin Paret-Peintre is in a class of his own here. Woah, I need to sit down. I knew that they were much lighter in the group, with much better climbers. So I needed to anticipate a bit earlier. I think it was a good ride, I’m really happy… …but unfortunately, I came up short. Yeah… I can be happy with my performance. This also gives me confidence for the upcoming stages. You were insane. Skinny motherf*ckers. I need to carry 15 kilos more. Now hope that Cian is good. Come on, Cian. You’re doing a great job on the climb. You look really strong, come on. We fight still for one kilometre. Come on, Cian. Come on! Everything to the finish now. You should sit in the wheel. Come on! …and he should be slightly increasing his gap there on Uijtdebroeks, who is only crossing the line now. That is not great for morale. For the race itself, that doesn’t say much, but… Great fight, boys. Great fight. You did great. Give me your hand. My head, my throat, my ears… Do you need a jacket? It feels like it’s all going to explode. When I breathe, it is as if a lump blocks my breathing. Like this… That is how i breathe right now. I’m heaving a headache and I’m feverish. I didn’t have that during the last days. I just hope that it will not continue. It was bad after the stage. The lungs… I couldn’t breathe It’s again a big blow. We got hit at certain moments, but all the times we bounced back… …also in a really good way. And now we are here. With four guys. We are still going to fight to Rome. We tried. It was a good day for me… …so it’s really a shame. Flat stage. Almost 180 kilometres. This is what we want to do: to sprint with you… …je ondersteunen You said yesterday: ‘I will find my way’, but that can give us a goal to get through this day. He’s positioned well. Here comes Milan! Pushing to the line. Milan is going to make it win number three on the Giro d’Italia. The rest of them did not came close in the end. Fourth. I was strong. I didn’t expect to be there. In Rome, it will have to be harder I didn’t expect it. – It’s a big result. Fourth. – I expected it. I told you yesterday. I really think I can get a podium. What did I tell you yesterday. – Yeah, you told it… …but I need a bit confidence also. Believe, mate. -In Rome, we go again. When you’re on the straights, make sure your visor is really close to your head. I think that I did quite okay on the last TT. 1.2 kilometres to go until the chicane. 1.2 kilometres to go… …everything. Everything you have. You can recover in the chicane, but now you go full gas to the chicane. Go, go, go, go! Come on, Edo! You’re doing a good TT. Come on, Edo. Go, go, go! First good corner, second good corner… …then you sprint to the finish. Sprint to the finish! Go, go, go, go, go. Stay sharp. You are good. Believe in yourself, we do. Be sharp here on this climb. It’s possible that, with some attacks, the group will split. Come on, Attila. Pogačar now gets closer to you. Bam. In the wheel! Great job, Attila. We fight to the top… …a really good result is still possible. Come on! This is nonsense in the end. This last two kilometres were never ending. Jan, tomorrow… …it’s the day. We go for it. – Of course. All four of us need to go tomorrow. It’s the last opportunity. Tomorrow I go all out, even if i explode. Tomorrow is the day where all the bullets will fly. There’s no other option. – No, full gas. Your girlfriend is also there. – Yes. Tomorrow, half my city will be there. It’s 1h50 to my city. So, the city is there… …we pass through the village where you won… So, good legs… and then we go. – Of course. Today, we go for the best possible result. For sure, the goal of today is to have one of you, or maybe both, in the breakaway. That’s our biggest chance of winning a stage in this Giro. Did you speak to Jan today, before start? – Very briefly. I was driving and they were busy too… …so we just sent a couple of voice messages. But he knows you are here? -Yes. They are gone. You have a gap, Tim and Jan. They are trying to block it. Go! Woah, there goes Tim. It splits behind. Come on, boys. Come on! This is the chance. Come on, Jan. Sprint tot de finish. Great ride, Jan. Great ride. I think he is in the top ten. Oh. Luckily it’s over. We just didn’t lose hope, so yeah… …from there we raced, and this was my maximum today. This wasn’t the plan. I didn’t even want to be in the breakaway… So, I’m going to bed. We’re almost in Rome. – Sunday will be your day! – Right. From the first moment, from the first stage onwards… …we had to deal with setbacks. We were still here with four guys. I think that you did really well. For sure you guys on the bike, but also the group of staff as well. We kept the positive spirit alive. We kept our commitment alive… …and we went for it. It was a challenging three weeks, but I really liked it to be here with you. To see how strong you were… …physically but also mentally. So thanks for that. Still, today. The last one. Keep Tim in position. Protect him. Do that as long as possible. It’s the last day, so you can give everything what is still in you system. We try again today. – Exactly. Merlier then. Consonni with Milan on his wheel. Tim van Dijke. Tim van Dijke! Here comes Merlier with a long burst of power. Merlier has got this one. Can Milan come around him? Milan not giving up on this… But Merlier holds it. Milan in second place! What place? Five? – Yes. I took the lead too early. If Olav was here, he would have won. It’s over. It’s everytime a special moment when you finish a Grand Tour. It’s always nice when you arrive in the last stage. It doesn’t matter what the results are… …it’s just a special feeling to finish a Grand Tour. It was not easy with just four guys… …but we can be satisfied and happy. We can be proud of ourselves.