It was the fifth time that Oliver Naesen put his name on the honors list in his home race. “But I certainly don’t get the victory here. It was even a very difficult race, with a lot of wind at the head,” said Naesen.
“Of course this is always a very special match for me. The atmosphere here in my own village is always fantastic. I already had fun, even though I was always targeted by the competition.”
“It was not that bad in the sprint, even though I was close to the cramps. So this race really shouldn’t have lasted much longer.”
“Tonight I leave for the riders’ hotel in Cambrai, where we gather for Paris-Roubaix. On Sunday, something completely different than this Memorial Fred De Bruyne awaits us in the hell classic.”
“Thursday we will explore the first 100 kilometers with the team. On Friday we will go out again to explore a number of cobblestone sections. We will then focus more on the final.”
“After that, rest awaits us and we hope that the condition is good enough to shine on the road to the cycling track in Roubaix. We are already taking this victory nicely. A fair race is never easy to win.”
–
