Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365, published on Monday October 7, 2024 at 10:33 p.m.
Fourth in the gravel world championships on Sunday, Belgian Jasper Stuyven accused his teammates of having favored the victory of Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, who is their usual leader at Alpecin-Deceuninck.
Jasper Stuyven accuses! The Belgian rider did not hide his disappointment at the end of the Gravel Worlds, which took place on Sunday in his country. Even if the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel was the huge favorite of the race, the Lidl-Trek runner will have wanted to defend his chances to the fullest and benefit from the help of his compatriots. But according to him, Quinten Hermans and Gianni Vermeersch, third and fifth respectively, clearly did not help him. The reason? Throughout the season, they wear the Alpecin-Deceuninck jersey and therefore have Mathieu van der Poel as leader. “It’s annoying. These guys don’t take over, they do it when it suits them. It was very clear that all the guys from Alpecin were there to help him. I expected us to run like (national) teams,” he told Sporza.
Vermeersch: “It’s always better when someone from Alpecin wins”
40 kilometers from the finish, Mathieu van der Poel left with the Belgian Florian Vermeersch (no relation to Gianni), who is a member of Lotto-Dstny. No one managed to catch up with the two men, who took the first two places. Gianni Vermeersch, who won the Gravel Worlds in 2022, tried to defend himself: “It was not up to us to reduce the gap. But we haven’t really been a limiting factor. We always tried to take turns a little. I would have liked to have won myself. At the end of the day, we are all trying to win the title. I don’t think it’s really a problem. » He also added, half-heartedly confirming Stuyven’s accusations: “It’s always better when someone from Alpecin wins.” See you next year in Nice, which will host the fourth edition of the Gravel Worlds, for revenge?
