For the third time in less than a week, Roy Jans sprinted to minor podium place when he finished second behind Nicola Ruffoni in the morning stage of the Tour du Poitou-Charentes. Believing that he could beat Mark Cavendish, the Belgian was left with mixed emotions as he managed to do just that but still missed out on the victory.

When Wanty extended Roy Jans' contract, they made it clear that they wanted to build a sprint train around the fast Belgian. Since that announcement, he has been unstoppable, finishing on the podium three times in less than a week.

Today he finished second behind Nicola Ruffoni in the morning stage of the Vuelta a Espana. Having already made inroads on Mark Cavendish in the sprint on the opening stage, he had gone into the stage, believing that he could beat the Brit and so was frustrated to have had another near-miss.

"Am I disappointed? Yes and no," he told Directvelo. "I beat Cavendish. On the other hand, the guy who won (Nicola Ruffoni) started his sprint with 350m to go. I thought it was a little early to start but eventually he was right. 

"I did really well in the finale. I had fought to take Cavendish's wheel. I managed to get it, and ultimately it was not enough. It's a shame. Selvaggi, Minnaard and Napolitano helped me in the final. Napolitano was the last rider to lead me out. Yesterday, he did ​​the sprint but it was not planned. I'm supposed to be the sprinter of the team for the entire week. It's just that I was very badly positioned in the finale yesterday

"Already the first day, I finished third, and I had managed to make inroads on Cavendish in the finale. Two days ago I learned that it was possible to beat him. 

"I take a lot of podiums, but I never win. This must be my eleventh podium this year. It's pretty good anyway. I'll try to do the best possible time trial. I'm still in a good GC position. And then tomorrow there will be a last chance. "