The third stage of ZLM Tour 2024 it was won surprisingly by a fugitive. To raise our arms to the sky at the finish line of Buchten it was in fact the 36 year old Dutchman Peter Schulting (Diftar Continental Cyclingteam) who together with Martijn Rasenberg (Parkhotel Valkenburg) e Wessel Mouris (Metec-SOLARWATTp/b Mantel) – in second and third position respectively – managed not to be caught by the main group. The three, after 179 kilometers of escape, were able to maintain a few meters of advantage on the finishing line, in a finish that was truly unexpected and breathtaking. First of the group of sprinters, in fourth position, is Casper Van Uden (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), while among the Italians the seventh place of Giovanni Lonardi (Team Polti-Kometa) and the eighth of Jakub Mareczko (Team corratec-Vini Fantini).
In the general ranking, Rune Herregodts (Intermarché-Wanty) remains in command with a 20″ lead Max Walker (Astana Qazaqstan), which gained two positions after the withdrawal of Tim Van Dijke (Visma | Lease a Bike) and after the 27″ lost by his teammate Gleb Syritsa in the end due to a mechanical problem. Tom Bohli (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) instead climbs to third place, 25″ from the leader, while he enters the top-10 Mirco Masters (Team Polti-Kometa), ninth at 41″ and first Italian in the standings.
The video of the arrival
The story of the race
After about fifteen kilometers from the start, four of them take the lead: it’s about Wessel Mouris (Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel), Tijmen Eising (BEAT Cycling Club), Martijn Rasenberg (Parkhotel Valkenburg) e Peter Schulting (Diftar Continental Cyclingteam). However, the group wants to keep this attempt under control and grants the pacesetters a maximum advantage of 2’30”, then stabilizing the gap between 2′ and 2’10” for a long time.
As soon as the halfway point of the stage is passed, a fall occurs in the peloton which involves several riders: among these also one of the favorites for the final success, Tim Van Dijke (Visma | Lease a Bike), who is forced to abandon the race. The pursuit of the fugitives, however, continues and they are above all in charge of it Astana Qazaqstan, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, Intermarché-Wanty And Team corratec-Vini Fantiniwho with -50 from the end brought the delay to 1’30”.
With the same gap the race enters the final circuit, to be repeated twice, and when the front also arrives VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè the platoon delay drops to 1′. Shortly after, the breakaway loses a piece when Eising gets up again 25 kilometers from the finish line, over which the three surviving attackers pass for the second time with still 50″ of margin. The trio in command, however, does not give up and 5000 meters from the finish line they still have a 40″ advantage over a group now drawn by the men of Alpecin-Deceuninck And Polti-Kometa team.
However, when Team dsm-firmenich PostNL gets to work again, the advantage of the fugitives quickly collapses and, 2000 meters from the finish line, the three pacesetters maintain only a 12″ margin, with Alpecin-Deceuninck trying a new torn to try to get even closer and close. In the end, however, the route seems to favor the attackers due to the presence of several curves and, at the end red flamethe three still have a 6″ lead.
At that point, an Alpecin man tries everything and tries to get back to the front alone, getting very close, but the rest of the group is also very close with 250 meters to go. However, at that moment the sprint between the three in the lead begins and the reunion fades by a whisker, with Schulting immediately demonstrating that he has more than the others and crossing the finish line first ahead of Rasenberg and Mouris, while the platoon arrives immediately behind, regulated by Casper Van Uden (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL).
