Friday December 29, 2023 at 12:00
Video Mathieu van der Poel has been untouchable since his return to the field. Sven Nys also finds the Dutchman’s performance impressive, but he nevertheless thinks that there will be more races where Wout van Aert will offer more resistance. “Wout realizes that he can grow during this period,” the team manager of Baloise Trek Lions said before the start of the Superprestige Diegem. CyclingFlits.
“In Gavere I saw him for the first time making the effort to keep the gap as small as possible,” Nys continued about Van Aert. “It wasn’t feasible yet, but it is growing. In the previous races he just did his own thing, waited and raced constructively. I expect that one of the coming days they will become much closer to each other. I think that will also be Wout’s goal. He came to the cross season with a different mindset, but he wants to give the best of himself and you can see him evaluating.”
According to Nys, the cross in Baal – yes, the GP Sven Nys (January 1) – is one of the crosses where we could see a duel between Van Aert and Van der Poel. “It’s fantastic that they are both there at the start. The traditional supporters always come, but if Wout and Mathieu are also there, it gives an extra boost to the match. We may never experience it again, but I’m glad they are there this year. Let’s make the most of that.”
In addition to Van der Poel and Van Aert, there is also Tom Pidcock, the third of the Big Three. What does Nys think of the Brit’s performances for the time being? “Pidcock is a bit similar to recent years. He is also dominant on his courses. Diegem is probably also one of them. That was cool too, but if you miss your start, the better rider has of course already started flying.”
Baloise Trek Lions
Since the return of Van der Poel, Van Aert and Pidcock, the other riders have been hunting for places of honor. Nys’ own team, Baloise Trek Lions, is having a good Christmas period, according to the big boss. “I thought it was a shame that Joris had that flat tire in Gavere, because I would really have liked to see him duel with Tom Pidcock to the finish. But yesterday in Zolder we were on the podium again and I think they also did very well in Antwerp. So yes, I am absolutely satisfied.”
The team has also thought carefully about fielding the right riders in the right races, says Nys. “We see that the calendar is so busy that it is almost no longer feasible to ride everything. Eli Iserbyt is the only exception. Congratulations on what he is doing, but we did not want to take that risk, because we also hope to be fresh enough in January to still be on the podium. That’s working out very well for the time being. Even now that Mathieu, Wout and Pidcock have returned, we continue to lean towards that podium.”
Shirin van Anrooij
Nys is also pleased with the performance of the women of Baloise Trek Lions. “Lucinda is doing very well. Unfortunately we miss Shirin. I expected a lot from that, I think it was ready conditionally. But she breaks her rib just before the cross in Mol. She rode with it for two more races, but the pain was simply unbearable. The photos have now also shown that there is an injury.”
How long will Van Anrooij’s recovery take approximately? “She can cycle with her injury, but we don’t want her to fall and cause more serious damage. We have canceled the competitions for the time being. She has the ambition to return to competition very soon, but it is not up to me to judge that. I leave that to the right people.”
2023-12-29 11:00:00
#Sven #Nys #expects #battle #Van #der #Poel #Van #Aert #Wout #growing
