The Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM placed 14th in the team time trial at the World Championships today. The black-green train needed 1:05:58 to complete the 57.1-kilometre course around Ponferrada in the north of Spain.

BMC was two minutes and 28 seconds faster and claimed the world title. Orica-GreenEdge placed second and Omega Pharma-QuickStep third.

“We’d hoped to get in the mix for tenth place, but we just weren’t good enough and have to live with that,” said a little disappointed Stef Clement afterwards to the Belkin website.

“But honestly, this was to be expected. We lacked real confidence. Five of our six riders did the Vuelta and we obviously didn’t end the race well. The sudden withdrawal of Robert Gesink from the Vuelta wasn’t good for the morale. We are athletes, but still people. It was very difficult to find the confidence and focus on the Worlds.

Clement stayed in Spain with Martijn Keizer, Wilco Kelderman, Maarten Tjallingii and Robert Wagner after the Vuelta a España to train for the World Championships. Rick Flens flew in from the Netherlands.

“Our families paid us a visit, but we were still feeling it,” said Clement. “If you want to achieve top results you need a kind of euphoria and that isn’t something you can easily create.”

Sports Director Erik Dekker was satisfied afterwards.

“The guys started easy, so that the engine wouldn’t run out too soon. They did what they could. They gave one hundred per cent and after the finish, there was nobody who could do more. I expected us to finish between the tenth and fifteenth place. Of course we wanted to do better, but we missed Lars Boom and Robert Gesink, two strong riders.”