"All bets on Gaudu," so Van den Berg knows what his job is for this Tour: "Work that the outside world is less likely to notice"

Lars van den Berg "never really expected it," but he will still be at the starting line of the Tour de France 2023 in Bilbao this coming Saturday. The Dutchman was selected to participate in the biggest cycling race of the year, pretty much to everyone's surprise. However, in a conversation with IDLProCycling.com, he already appeared fully focused on the French tour.

We spoke to Van den Berg near the Dutch National Championship in South Limburg, and he explained how he heard about being included in the selection. "I got the call last Tuesday morning. Of course, I'm super happy about it. It came as a surprise. I never really expected it. I thought the selection was already pretty much set, but they decided to make a change. I'm not exactly bummed about it, in any case," he said with a smile and a good sense of understatement.

It wasn't so much his good performance during the preparatory race Route d'Occitanie that made the difference, Van den Berg explained. "I did receive some sort of explanation: that I had ridden well in the Ardennes Classics, especially in service of the team. That's work that the outside world is less likely to notice, but it's very important for the team."

"Now that Arnaud Démare has been left out and all focus is on David Gaudu, there are still guys who have to do the dirty work," said the Dutchman, who has a good relationship with the leaders of Groupama-FDJ. "I know Gaudu quite well. I've done quite a few races with him by now. The same goes for Thibaut Pinot, and I speak French well, so I fit into the team well."

Van den Berg on "passionate" Madiot: "The French love that"

Team leader Gaudu had a rather disappointing Critérium du Dauphiné. "In the end, it's a wait-and-see situation. I haven't seen him in the past few weeks either. I guess we'll find out pretty quickly in the first week of the Tour. I hope he's good enough to keep up with the best riders, and I'll try to support him as best as I can," Van den Berg says, clearly aware of his task.

So, what is it like to work on a French team with a true French identity? "It's definitely a different culture, but that also makes it special. We have Stefan Küng, but he's basically French by now. So, I'm actually the only foreigner selected for the Tour (alongside Kevin Geniets, ed.). That makes it extra special. It shows that I'm on the right track, and I think that's great."

The Netflix series Tour de France: Unchained also shows team boss Marc Madiot reacting emotionally to certain aspects of those races. "He's really like that. For the French championships, he also gave such a passionate speech. The French definitely love that. I think it's beautiful too, but I'm a bit more level-headed about it," Van den Berg laughs. "I am naturally calm, not easily impressed or nervous."

Van den Berg will also record podcast episodes during Tour de France

Many cycling enthusiasts are familiar with cycling podcasts like Geraint Thomas/Luke Rowe or Wout Poels/Dylan van Baarle, but Van den Berg has had his own platform for a while now: Cycling Inside. "Last year, due to injuries, things didn't go as well, so it helps to have something to do, other than cycling. It makes you realize that life isn't just about cycling. It brings me a lot of relaxation, but it's also just fun to do."

The Tour then seems like the ideal opportunity to expand that reach, doesn't it? "I think we'll also do a few specials during the Tour," confirms Van den Berg, although he would do it primarily for another reason. "It's also cool to give people a glimpse into how it all works."