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Gerben Thijssen may not be a household name just yet in pro cycling but the 22-year-old Belgian sprinter is well on his way.
Currently riding La Vuelta, his first Grand Tour, with Lotto-Soudal, he placed 5th in the bunch sprint that settled stage 4 - won by Ireland's Sam Bennett - and was 2nd on stage 9.
He's in his first year at WorldTour level and has been battling the climbs to stay in the Vuelta, as this video shared by Pedro Delgado shows.
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It was shot as Thijssen finished yesterday's stage atop the Alto de la Farrapona, when he was last man home; in 151st place, some 40:50 down on stage winner David Gaudu (Groupama FDJ).
He was just over six minutes inside the time cut and was in a world of pain as his shouts at the end of the stage show.
The good news for Thijssen is that he survived again today on the Angliru summit finish when he placed fourth from last. He crossed the line alongside Ireland's Bennett (Deceuninck-QuickStep); in a group 38:54 down and more than eight minutes inside the time cut.
Thijssen took some great sprint victories as a junior and U23 - including the Belgian U23 title in 2018 - and is one to watch in the years ahead.
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