Debates about Laporte's motor advantage and team interests nipped in the bud: "Force it if you dare to attack"

The European Cycling Championships for elite men turned into a fierce battle between the courageous leader, Christophe Laporte, and an impressive chasing group behind him. It might seem like an uneven contest, but that's far from the truth. Even though Wout van Aert and Olav Kooij managed to close in on Laporte's wheel during the final climb to the finish line, Laporte held on successfully. The question posed by IDLProCycling.com afterwards was: how was this possible?

Among the podium finishers, there was nothing but praise for Laporte, who took the initiative and, according to Van Aert and Kooij, earned his victory. "One of us should have been in that leading position instead of Christophe. He made a decisive move, and before we realized it, the gap had become insurmountable," interjected Van Aert.

When asked about the motorbikes riding too close in front of Laporte, the Belgian dismissed the notion. "Motorbikes leading the way also benefit someone who dares to attack, so I won't blame that. If everyone rides flat out without thinking, no one can stay ahead. But you never want to bring back your competitors and, in doing so, suffer more than the rest. This is the scenario you create when you dare to attack."

Kooij shared a similar perspective, and like Van Aert, he had a teammate to help set the pace in the chasing group. The leaders also took their turns at the front. "The chase wasn't lacking in effort; you also don't want to do more work than someone else. The collaboration wasn't bad at all, but you're always mindful of the looming sprint in everyone's minds," admitted Kooij.

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TeamNL disagrees with Van Aert and Kooij: 'We gave it our all'

Dutch national coach Koos Moerenhout briefly had concerns that team interests might take precedence over national interests. Jumbo-Visma possessed three strong assets with Laporte, Van Aert, and Kooij. "At the start, it took a while for the chase to get organized, and that made me wonder: Do they have the determination? Or would it have been stronger if they were riding for the same team? However, the dynamics started to change, and it seemed like they were closing the gap. The chasers just had to give it everything they had, and Laporte still had something left in the tank for those final 200 meters."

"That Laporte managed to break away was actually a favorable situation," thought Mike Teunissen, who led the chase on behalf of Kooij. "Our plan was to go for a sprint with Olav anyway, and it was eight of us against one. It seemed like we had it under control, but Laporte just didn't give up... We were riding flat out, really. So, we can say that Laporte was as strong on his own as we were with eight riders. As far as I know, all eight of us gave our all, and we can't blame ourselves. Christophe did have some motorbikes in front of him, maybe that helped."

Teunissen also pointed out that VAM Mountain proved to be tougher than expected, primarily due to the repeated laps. "We were already aware of it from the national championships, but you shouldn't underestimate VAM Mountain. It might seem like we were heading for a sprint, but when there's intense racing, the peloton splits anyway. It's a constant battle of positioning and nerves, which takes a toll on the legs. It was somewhat reminiscent of the World Championships... Wout also mentioned that VAM Mountain might not appear very challenging, and everyone can go up there at a fast pace, but towards the end, it becomes more selective."