The first Belgian in the Giro among the top 10 players in 11 years, but sadness prevails for the team player Lorenz de Plus | Cycling

Laurens De Plus responded Sunday evening: “Tonight’s party in Rome is going to look a little quieter than planned.” “A few pints against grief, no more.”

Plus was allowed to perform in this Giro to say “you.” He’s a team player, so he shares the team’s grief, too. Even after the closing ceremony, the loss of the pink jersey still reverberated.

De Plus: “To be honest, Saturday’s relegation dominates. For 3 weeks we can be proud of our team’s performance. But we beat our value, we didn’t expect that.”

“We started from our strength because Geraint Thomas was the most consistent, always on time and because his third week is usually the strongest.”

“Roglich had good timing and saved himself for that last important trip. Well, you have to keep going. But there’s still a bitter pill to swallow.”

De Plus has reiterated several times that he has no ratings ambitions of his own. Does he still feel that way after the closing ceremony? After all, it’s been 11 years since another Belgian finished in the top 10 (Thomas de Gendt in 2012).

“I’m a teammate in heart and soul. It’s always been that way. It’s no different now.”

“Maybe I’ll be proud of that in a few weeks. Especially the performance at that time, rather than a 10th-place finish. Not that I feel great about it.”

What does the future hold for De Plus?

“Now I’m going to rest and put the bike down. I’m going to stay in Rome with my girlfriend. Later this year the Vuelta will be on my program anyway.”

“I’m a consistent value in the Tour team now. Maybe the Tour of Poland comes in the middle. But it depends on what happens after this race.”

“Wanna win a smaller tour myself? I’m not working on it. I dream of winning a big tour with a team one day and I’m perfect for that at Ineos.”