Nils Eekhoff victorious in ZLM Tour prologue

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Team DSM rider takes first leader's jersey as Cavendish gets back in action in the Netherlands

Nils Eekhoff (Team DSM) in 2022
Nils Eekhoff (Team DSM) in 2022 (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Nils Eekhoff (Team DSM) powered to victory in the prologue of the ZLM Tour in Heinkenszand, defeating teammate Alex Edmondson last year's overall champion Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) by fractions of a second.

Eekhoff covered the 6.6 kilometre course with a time of 7:27.79, with Edmondson 0.36 seconds slower and Kooij just 0.05 seconds further behind in third.

"I'm really happy to take my first win here," Eekhoff said. "I went pretty deep and am super happy to win. Going out was a tailwind and superfast. Toward the finish, the headwind made it pretty tough but it worked out pretty well."

Among the starters in the ProSeries five-day stage race is Mark Cavendish (Astana), who is back in action with lead-out man Cees Bol, who finished sixth on the stage. 

Laura Weislo
Laura Weislo
Managing Editor

Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.

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