In the clan INEOS Grenadiersnot everyone had a smile on their faces on the 1st stage of the Tour of Italydespite the victory and the first pink jersey pocketed by Jonathan Narvaez in front of the immense favorite of Giro Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates). Even before the arrival of the runners in the streets of Turin, the father of Thymen Arensmanteammate of the future winner, attacked the British structure on social networks. Martijn Arensman particularly criticized the work of his son’s coaches. “The best thing about the start of a Grand Tour is that no coach can ruin a cyclist’s form in the next three weeks. I hope it’s not too much ruined for now”he commented on X (formerly Twitter), before deleting the message and protecting his account.
Video – His teammate Jonathan Narvaez won the 1st stage
Disillusionment on the 1st stage
There is a reason for this speech. Thymen Arensman did not show good legs on the opening stage. The pace was too fast for the Dutchman in the Colle della Maddalena (7.1km at 6.6%, summit 22km from the finish). The 24-year-old crossed the line in 47th position. And above all lost more than two minutes on the favorites and Pogacar. A poor performance after his 6th place in the 2023 edition. His British teammate Magnus Sheffield put into perspective with GCN: “I think Thymen (Arensman) is a fighter, he just needed to continue his pace.”
