Interview | Jumbo-Visma considers Evenepoel: "Handy now that we have three leaders"

Frans Maassen has served as a team manager at the successful Jumbo-Visma team for quite some time now. The former professional cyclist, who claimed a stage victory in the 1990 Tour de France, possesses an in-depth understanding of Jumbo-Visma's operations. The 58-year-old native of Limburg took on the role of team leader at the Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France, where IDLProCycling.com had the opportunity for a heartfelt conversation with him.

While the cycling calendar has yet to draw to a close, this website was eager to hear Maassen's preliminary assessment of this season. After all, both Primoz Roglic (Giro d'Italia) and Jonas Vingegaard (Tour de France) secured victories in Grand Tours, and the prospect of a genuine Grand Tour triple is not out of reach. The Dutch WorldTour team also claimed several wins in spring classics and stage races, even though they fell short in the Monuments. "I can't provide a definitive assessment just yet, as the Vuelta is, of course, pivotal in that regard. But if I set that aside and weigh everything, I would give this season a solid 9," Maassen remarked.

"Last year I said that actually it couldn't get any better, but we managed to do it again," said Jumbo-Visma team leader Maassen

"We've achieved an incredible amount," he elaborated on the impressive rating. "It's unfortunate that we didn't secure a Monument, but we did claim victory in other prestigious classics," alluding to Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and the E3 Saxo Classic, among others. "However, winning the Tour is already a tremendous accomplishment. For cyclists, that's the pinnacle. If you add to that the Giro, the Tour of Catalonia, the Tour of the Basque Country, and the Critérium du Dauphiné, it's truly exceptional."

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Vingegaard wins the 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné

"Last year, I already mentioned that it couldn't get much better, but we've managed to achieve it again," he continues with enthusiasm. "However, of course, we would have loved to win Paris-Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders. We gave it our all, but when someone is better on that particular day, you have to accept it. And, in the case of Paris-Roubaix, we also had a stroke of bad luck," Maassen referred to Wout van Aert's puncture in the final stages.

In his own words, Maassen isn't the type of sports director who compares calendar years or seasons with each other. "I prefer to take it one race at a time. Currently, we are competing in Bretagne, Great Britain, and Spain as a team, striving for victory in every race. The Canadian races are also on the horizon, and there too, we'll aim to perform at our best. It's an ongoing process."

Maassen very happy that Jumbo-Visma was able to get Matteo Jorgenson

So, Maassen won't be present at the Vuelta, but naturally, he's closely monitoring the performance of the yellow-black team in Southern Europe. After nine stages in the Spanish stage race, one of his proteges, Sepp Kuss, leads the general classification. Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic are also still contenders for the top spots, with Soudal Quick-Step's Remco Evenepoel, in particular, being the biggest challenger. "The guys are really performing exceptionally well in Spain. That's very pleasing to see. However, Evenepoel is notably strong. So, it's far from over, but the same applies to Evenepoel."

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The Vuelta just might turn into a one-on-one battle between Roglic and Evenepoel

With the trident of Kuss, Roglic, and Vingegaard, the 'killer bees' have several trump cards to play and can make life difficult for the 'Cannibal of Schepdaal.' "Having three leaders is definitely nice, but it often boils down to just one man in the end," Maassen pointed out. "There may come a point where we need to make decisions about where to focus our energy. However, the situation can change from one day to the next. Still, in this case, I think having three leaders works well," he indirectly praised the resilience of Evenepoel.

According to Maassen, his riders continue to impress him every year, and their performances seem to improve with each passing season. It was recently announced that Matteo Jorgenson, a versatile rider from Movistar, is also joining the Jumbo-Visma team. Maassen couldn't reveal specific plans for the 24-year-old American at the moment. "It's a bit early to say. We haven't finalized the details yet. But I can confidently say that we are very excited to have him. I believe he's a rider who will fit in well with our team. I'm looking forward to working with him. I'll meet him at the upcoming races in Canada, so I'm curious."