'We learned a lot' - Groenewegen and Rockets fall short in Giro finale

Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) has reflected on his first Grand Tour with Unibet Rose Rockets, stating the squad "learned a lot" from their debut three-week adventure after another near-miss on the final sprint stage in Rome.

Inside the final lap, the Rockets led the chase to reel in a dangerous breakaway trio: Filippo Ganna (Netcompany-Ineos), Matteo Sobrero (Lidl-Trek), and Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step). 

After making the catch with 3km to go, the Rockets controlled the front under the flamme rouge until Soudal Quick-Step surged ahead on the uphill rise to the finish.

Groenewegen tussled for position with three-time stage winner Paul Magnier, costing both riders vital momentum. Groenewegen ultimately settled for fourth behind stage winner Jonathan Milan, while Magnier faded to 11th.

“Yeah, I was a bit fighting with [Paul] Magnier for position,” Groenewegen told reporters, including Eurosport, at the finish. ”Yeah, there we lost a little bit of speed, but I think the fastest today won, and that was [Jonathan] Milan. So yeah, it is what it is for now.”

When asked if the uphill finish proved too difficult, the Dutchman dismissed the idea, explaining the outcome as a simple loss of speed.

“No, it's just about good momentum, and I think Magnier lost a little bit of the momentum, and me too. So yeah, then he [Milan] came from behind, and yeah, that was this result."

While the ProTeam missed out on a stage victory, the Rockets repeatedly demonstrated their ability to control the peloton during high-stakes Grand Tour bunch sprints, most notably on stage 6 into Napoli and again in Rome.

Though leaving without a win brings a sense of emptiness, the experienced Dutchman highlighted the overarching positives from the team's Grand Tour debut.

“Yeah, I think that was the big goal for this Giro, to get a victory. We came really, really close. We did some really good leadouts. We learned a lot,” said Groenewegen. 

“But yeah, the victory is still missing. So that's a bit of a pity, but yeah, for now we can't change it anymore, and this is the result.”