Laurence Pithie and Red Bull combative despite false start: "I'm better than ever"

If you look at the results of Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe, you can hardly be impressed. Maxim Van Gils finished 19th in Milan-Sanremo, Sam Welsford finished tenth in Classic Brugge-De Panne, Tim van Dijke was the best-placed Dutch rider in the E3 at 19th place, and Jordi Meeus finished ninth in Gent-Wevelgem. However, he was criticized for a risky move during the race. Three more serious cobblestone classics will come with Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix. Time is running out.

And that is remarkable because BORA bought, in their own words, 'the stars of the future in the one-day race' for the classics in 2025. In addition to Pithie, the brothers Tim and Mick van Dijke were picked up at Visma | Lease a Bike, and 2024 sensation Oier Lazkano came over from Movistar. Gianni Moscon made the switch from Soudal-Quick Step, and with fast riders Danny van Poppel and Ryan Mullen already on board, the new super team could, on paper, compete with teams like Alpecin-Deceuninck, Visma | Lease a Bike and Lidl-Trek.

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"One-day races are also now within reach, and we want to win them despite the strong competition. Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert... we want to target them too," said sports director Rolf Aldag in December. "Our new acquisitions are not today's superstars, but we can develop them into important players. We want to attack Van Aert and Van der Poel, and we can do just that with Laurence, Oier Lazkano, and Maxim (Van Gils, ed.) on the team. I can feel the hunger in this group, so we can't wait to take on the challenge."

Tim van Dijke commented on this during Tirreno-Adriatico in March. The Dutch rider emphasized that the new core of the classics team must become attuned to each other. At that moment, he had only seen Pithie a few times. "Indeed, we haven't seen each other much yet, so it will take time to adjust to each other. But I'm confident that it will work out in the end. It's very important for the classics to have a good vibe; someone like Laurence certainly fits in. We have already explored the classics together."

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Pithie said it should all work out quickly before his return to Europe in Milan-Sanremo. The New Zealander said firmly: "I missed the opening weekend, but in the end it was only two races. There isn't much time in the winter, so you must make choices and check off all the boxes. We are a young group, and we get along well. The vibe is good, so it should work out naturally when we start racing."

Quality always rises to the top, Pithie thinks. "We have a super strong classics team with many great riders. You have to play it more openly if you don't have a real leader like Van der Poel or someone who has already won a lot. You have a good chance if you have several options in the finals. We must be honest about our feelings and communicate well about who is good and less good. We also have a good staff who help us. It will be fine."

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We will not yet judge the new Red Bull stars on disappointing results. Because in Sanremo, the E3, and Gent-Wevelgem, the team undoubtedly expected more from Pithie (48th, 73rd, and 27th), Lazkano (not once in the top 100), and the Van Dijke brothers (not yet in the top ten). This also had a little to do with Visma | Lease a Bike syndrome. Pithie crashed just before the Cipressa in Milan-Sanremo, had two flat tires in the E3, and missed the proper timing in Gent-Wevelgem, despite what winner Mads Pedersen called a 'very active race.'

The level is there, as Tim van Dijke proved in the Tirreno. Pithie also emphasized that he is very good. "I'm better than ever, that's for sure. I have made progress, with many changes in coaching, nutrition, and performance. I can draw confidence from that. I had a different preparation than usual, and I always came to Europe early to race. I have been to New Zealand for a while after the Australian block and spent three weeks at altitude in Tenerife. I have trained a lot, and I am ready."

Will there be attacks from afar like the Tour of Flanders or Roubaix in 2024? Pithie laughs: "I don't think I'll attack as much as last year, although you never know in these crazy classics. You have to be ready for anything when the opportunity arises." A new opportunity will present itself on Wednesday in Dwars door Vlaanderen.

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])