Kamikaze Maikel Zijlaard flies through the bends in an ultra-short prologue in Romandie

The 24-year-old Dutchman Maikel Zijlaard was able to celebrate his very first professional victory in the prologue of the Tour de Romandie. In the winding course through the center of Payerne he was a fraction faster than the Australian Cameron Scott. Immediately a direct hit for the Swiss procontinental team Tudor, and that in their own country.

Only 2.28 kilometers and thirteen corners: classification men and pure time trial specialists had no chance before the starting gun.

The group of candidates had been thinned out by the ultra-technical DNA of this prologue to a limited package of sprinters, their pilots, crossers and daredevils.

Maikel Zijlaard turned out to be the perfect mix of those qualities. The Dutchman, scion of the famous cycling family, had made a goal of this undertaking and clocked in 2’55″43.

Gianni Vermeersch came quite close (7th at 3’52), Ilan Van Wilder (12th at 4’43), Thibau Nys (18th at 5’25) and Milan Menten (20th at 6’10) also finished nicely.

Early starter Zijlaard felt more and more confident of victory by the minute, although Julian Alaphilippe in particular made his heart rate rise a little. The Frenchman gave himself a boost with the 2nd fastest time of 2.31.

Just when Zijlaard had released his fingernails, Cameron Scott almost threw a spanner in the works. Scott, an even bigger surprise than Zijlaard, finished at barely 0.90.

Zijlaard breathed a sigh of relief and received his first flower bouquet with a broad smile.

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