Huub Duijn has finally been rewarded for the strong form he has shown in recent weeks. The 30-year-old veteran finished 9th in the final standings of the first Tour de Yorkshire. In the final hard stage to Leeds Duijn reached the finish with the very best and finished 5th.

Sky rider Lars Petter Nordhaug won the new three-day stage race (UCI 2.1) in the North of England. 

"It was a goal to do a good GC here. It is very nice to succeed in this way," says Duijn. "This is really a super race with all these people. I think Roompot Orange Platoon has left a good impression."

That cycling is popular in the United Kingdom was evident last year at the start of the Tour de France. The choice of ASO to organize a new stage race in Yorkshire also revealed that fact. Massive crowds (according to the organization 1.2 million) saw Nordhaug win the opening stage last Friday. Duijn finished 10th in Scarborough and again made ​​it clear that his qualities as a climber are certainly not lost. 

"For a few weeks I have felt fine. I really peaked in Liège last week. Unfortunately I had bad luck in the finale. It is nice to confirm the good feeling with a result."

In stage 2, Ivar Slik got attention. The young Dutchman was part of a leading group of seven riders for more than 100km. They could not prevent a sprint finish.Moreno Hofland was it the fastest, but Dylan Groenewegen and Andre Looij were just behind. The 21- and 19-year-old finished 5th and 6th in York and made ​​team manager Jean-Paul van Poppel aware of the fact that the two sprint talents have lots of potential.

The final stage finished in Leeds and included six climbs. Ben Hermans, the Belgian winner of the Brabantse Pijl, was the strongest and finished solo with his BMC teammate Van Avermaet in second. Just behind fourth-placed Samuel Sanchez, Huub Duijn crossed the line in 5th. 

"I'm not used to being the captain at the professional level, so I felt quite some pressure," Duijn said afterwards."That's why I'm happy for my teammates that I could cope with this position, and it is rewarding to finish as best Dutchman."