Barry Markus finished in the top 15 today in the 30th Arnhem-Veenendaal Classic. The Team LottoNL-Jumbo sprinter was boxed in the final few metres of the bunch kick and was unable to sprint to his maximum. Dylan Groenewegen of Team Roompot won the race.

"Yauheni Hutarovich almost rode me into the fence,” Markus said. “I had to brake because of that move and when you have to break in a sprint, it’s over. I cannot blame the team, we have done everything in the right way. Wilco did a great lead-out and dropped me off in Groenenwegen’s wheel.”

Markus was of course disappointed, but preferred to look forward with optimism and ambition.

“In the next race we’ll go for it again.”

Wilco Kelderman, Twan Castelijns and Nick van der Lijke tried to put the competition under the pressure in the final kilometres after a breakaway of three was caught. Both men did not get any space, however. Kelderman followed by pulling he sprint for Markus.

“It’s unfortunate that Barry got boxed in,” Kelderman said. The Dutchman rode a strong race in his native region. “In the beginning I got in break of 16 riders together with Steven Kruijswijk and Nick van der Lijke. Two Belgian teams missed that move and reeled us in. In the last 15 kilometres, I tried to attack a few times. When that didn’t go as hoped, we focused on Barry.”

“Our plan was to make it a hard race and support Barry if it would come down to a sprint,” Sports Director Jan Boven said. “The race became pretty hard and we also contributed to that. Many riders were dropped today, but Barry did well and in the final kilometres, he was still in the front. The team did a strong lead-out, but Barry couldn’t really mix in.”