© BELGIUM
Eye-catcher in the Renewi Tour, which starts today in Riemst: Mathieu van der Poel. It is the first race for the world champion since the Olympic Games. “It took a bit of searching in my program,” he says. “I had the Vuelta in the back of my mind, but in the end we chose this race.”
Van der Poel does not really find a course to his liking for the next five days. There is one time trial and at least three of the four stages seem destined for a sprint with a large group. The Renewi Tour was reduced from seven to five stages at the request of the UCI, but still had current contracts with all Belgian start and finish locations. That is why there is now no more room for the Ardennes stage that used to be a regular fixture and helped determine the classification.
“I had hoped for more difficult stages,” said Van der Poel. “We’ll have to make do with it. Only Sunday looks really tough. I’ll be able to test myself there.”
For Van der Poel, the Renewi is a preparation race for the European and World Championships that are coming up soon. “I will have a free role at the European Championships,” he says. “Other countries will also play out riders like that. Someone who attacks and then keeps the sprinter in reserve.”
Van der Poel assumes that the presence of Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen, Jordi Meeus and Wout van Aert in the Belgian selection can play into his hands. “I suspect that they will not go to a sprint with four. It would be nice if Belgium were to race.”
Van der Poel is coming out of a long period of training in Spain, during which he did not only cycle. Last weekend he posted data from a training run of ten kilometers. Average speed: 4”34 per kilometer. Average heart rate: 114 beats per minute. Surely he is not already preparing for the cross winter: “No, I am not thinking about that yet,” says Van der Poel. “I just like to do it for a change. Will I go cross this winter? No idea. That is also still a question mark for me at the moment. I don’t know myself yet.”
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