Niki Terpstra won the 253km Dutch Road Championship out of a sprint, as the peloton caught the lead group in the final kilometers even though the breakaway riders had a gap of at least 16 minutes at one point in the race. Terpstra, despite coming through the final corner in about 2nd position, passed Ramon Sinkeldam in the final meters to win his third National Road Championship of his career. Danny Van Poppel was 3rd.
"I am happy because this is the third national title on the road in my career, but probably the most difficult of the three," Terpstra said. "The race was really crazy. There was a breakway group with about eight riders that took more than 16 minutes of an advantage. No one wanted to work to close the gap. In the last laps we worked hard to bring these guys back.
"In the last lap I thought maybe I could be there and do the final. We caught the breakaway at about 6 or 7 kilometers to go and I knew in the last two or three kilometers there were a lot of corners where I could try to do something. It was also slippery due to the rain. So, I went at a certain moment and fortunately I took advantage of our tyres that are super good in wet conditions.
"Then I came into the final sprint with the other guys, but when I looked around me it was only sprinters. So, I was thinking I will end up with another 2nd place, but I gave everything and in the end I passed Sinkeldam and I won.
"After a few podium places during the Classics winning is important. This is also a special, as any time you can be a champion in your country, it is beautiful. I am really waiting for my Vermarc box to arrive with my Dutch outfit, so I can have a look and enjoy the moment when I will wear the jersey for the first time."
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