Maikel Zijlaard claimed his first professional victory in the 2.3-kilometer prologue of Tour de Romandie.
"This is my first victory, my first in the WorldTour,” Zijlaard said after the finish. “I can't believe it either. I am good at prologues, so my goal was to perform well. It's hard to believe that I won today, but I did it. I wanted it so much, for myself, for the Team.”
The 24-year-old, main lead-out man for Tudor’s sprinter Arvid de Kleijn, surprised everyone but the Team, flying over the short and technical course in the streets of Payerne.
“The last two hours of waiting were the worst two hours of my life,” Zijlaard said after he finally knew he won the prologue. “I started very early, so I had to wait a long time until everyone crossed the line. This is a dream! From here, I am going to take it day by day. As a team, we're going to celebrate a little bit today. And then we'll see again tomorrow."
The Tour de Romandie continues tomorrow with a punchy stage between Château d'Oex and Fribourg. Maikel Ziljaard is looking forward to riding in the leader jersey; the first leader jersey of Tudor Pro Cycling at World Tour level.
