Groenewegen missed selection last year with the squad or Jumbo-Visma already brimming with top talent in support of Primož Roglič. The previous year he was also left out in favour of a three-pronged GC strategy with Roglič, Tom Dumoulin and Steven Kruijswijk.
He went instead to the Tour of Poland and Groenewgen incurred a nine month suspension after being judged to have caused a crash that put Fabio Jakobsen in a coma at the Tour of Poland.
The Dutchman returned in 2021 to competition, but wasn’t immediately effective at the Giro d’Italia, regaining the top step of the podium at the Tour de Wallonie and Tour of Denmark. He left Jumbo-Visma this off-season, who he had raced for since 2016, to join Australian outfit BikeExchange-Jayco despite still having a year to run on his contract.
The move appears to already garnered the sprinter more opportunities. Groenewegen has already been told he will lead the line for his new squad with the aim to pick up stage wins at the biggest bike race in the world.
“I love the Tour and am very happy that I can return to this race again this year,” Groenewegen told Wielerflits. “I have had my best successes in the Tour. As a sprinter, you want to perform on that big stage. My biggest challenge is to fight for the stage wins there again.”
The 28-year-old is looking forward to the 2022 season, and relocating the form that saw him renowned as one of the best sprinters in the world!
“I am happy with the choice I made. They will do everything they can to support me in the bunch sprints and they are already fully engaged in that," he said.
