Interview | Quinten Hermans looks forward to tough start in Basque country: "Something that Van der Poel can handle too"

Quinten Hermans is looking to Bilbao to wash away the disappointment of the Tour he experienced last year. The Belgian Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was excluded from the eight-man lineup for the Tour de France by his former team, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert, which left his Tour count still at zero. If all goes well, that will change this year.

IDLProCycling.com got to speak with Hermans during the Tour de Suisse, where he put the finishing touches on his preparation for the Tour de France. The race was overshadowed by the tragic death of Gino Mäder, but Hermans managed to complete the race.

Atmosphere was excellent during Alpecin-Deceuninck high altitude training camp

Prior to the Swiss race, Hermans and his teammates were in La Plagne, where the atmosphere in the Alpecin-Deceuninck camp was excellent. "The entire spring season has been going well," concluded the Belgian, who himself fell ill before his major goal: the Ardennes classics. "There was some bad luck involved for me, but the atmosphere has been great all year, and we had good weather in a nice location. Everyone is looking forward to riding the Tour together."

According to Hermans, he is not a hundred percent certain about participating in the Tour yet. "It's certain that we are doing the preparation with ten guys. That's two guys too many, so there's always a chance of being dropped. There are always some setbacks, and it could be that there will be a fight for the last spot, but of course, I hope to be included. We will see. At least the preparations went well."

According to Hermans, having a Tour preparation with ten riders makes perfect sense. "What the final decision is based on? That depends on various factors, how the team sees things tactically. It's possible that you could fall and not be able to participate, so you always have to prepare ten riders. However, the primary question is how we can win as many stages as possible."

Last year, Hermans had to swallow the bitter pill of not being able to go to the Tour, but with his new team Alpecin-Deceuninck, he expects that it won't happen in the same way. "If I am not selected, I will go on vacation. But in that case, I trust that they will tell me in time, not like last year. Performance was not mandatory in Switzerland either. This team also pays attention to the numbers we deliver."

Hermans on "pretty tough" start to Tour: 'I'm looking forward to that"

"I have already seen the first stages of the Tour, and it's definitely a challenging race," states the puncher, who himself should excel in the early stages. "The first two stages in the Basque Country are quite tough. The Jaizkibel (to be climbed in stage two, ed.) in particular is a climb I have done several times, and it's really demanding, but it's also something that riders like Mathieu van der Poel might be able to handle. I'm looking forward to it."

Hermans' decision to participate in the Tour de Suisse while Tour leaders Van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen opted for the Baloise Belgium Tour was based on their chances of success. "The team wanted to split it into two races, but the Tour de Suisse was also very demanding. I can perform better here, but for a sprinter, it might be a bit too tough. Racing on those climbs is quite different from training," he concludes, referring to the difference between a race and a high altitude training camp.