Lennert Van Eetvelt in the spotlight, but could Maxim Van Gils be the real outsider for Strade Bianche?

At Lotto-Dstny, they have been soaring in the first weeks of 2024. The Belgian team has significantly rejuvenated over the last few years and has already boasted five victories in January and February. Lennert Van Eetvelt won the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana and was particularly in the spotlight for his stage and overall win in the UAE Tour. This Saturday at Strade Bianche, all eyes will be on him, but perhaps Maxim Van Gils is even better suited for it. In the shadow of his good friend, the 24-year-old Belgian hopes to make a mark in Tuscany, he told IDLProCycling.com!

Like Van Eetvelt, Van Gils can also look back on an excellent start to the season. In a Ruta del Sol disrupted by a farmers' protest, he pulled off a stunt by winning the five-kilometer time trial, which served as the only stage of the week. He beat competitors such as Juan Ayuso (UAE-Team Emirates) and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious). During the Opening Weekend, we then saw Van Gils among the best at the Faun-Ardeche Classic on Saturday (fifth) and the Drome-Ardeche Classic on Sunday (third).

The young Van Gils also had an excellent start to the season in 2022 and 2023, both times in the desert. He knows how to have a good winter. "Last year I didn’t have such a good winter because I got sick. I only started training at the end of December, but this year I was able to train well from November. In December, I spent a week in Spain with Harm (Vanhoucke, ed.) and his family. We worked well there and had fun. Nothing extreme until then, it was only after the holidays that the first training camp with the team started. From that moment, I went full focus, and we also worked well afterward in Tenerife."

"I was quite good last year too, I think," he continues, answering the question of whether he managed to improve during the past winter. "I don’t think I made a huge leap forward like I did two winters ago. A small step forward, which is good. Last year, I was also strong in the first part of the year, up to the Ardennes. I think I am a bit better now."

Van Gils is excited for Strade Bianche

The first real test is scheduled for Saturday at Strade Bianche. Van Gils has also competed in the race for the past two years, so he knows what to expect. "I think Strade Bianche is a very beautiful race, although you need a bit of luck with flat tires or other mishaps. I generally don’t find scouting a race that fun, but I really enjoyed it on Thursday. A very beautiful course, and it remains unpredictable, right from the start."

He is fine with the organization adding an extra final loop this Saturday for the first time, extending the distance from 185 to 215 kilometers. "I haven’t raced over 200 kilometers yet this year, but I was always quite good in the last two seasons. I like that this race has gotten longer, as I was pretty good in races like Milan-San Remo, Liège, and Lombardy. I always need a bit of time to warm up and require about one and a half to two hours to be fully powered. I should be awake by Monte Sante Marie, yes."

He's less enthusiastic about the added loop in the race's final stretch, expressing some disappointment. "That additional loop is a bit of a letdown, even when considering the race broadcast. It’s not really an addition; tacking on an extra fifteen kilometers at the start would have been a better choice. I would’ve liked the finale to stay as it was; the loop doesn’t really add value. Regardless, the race will be intensely competitive and it will be painful."

Pogacar does not instill fear in Van Gils

The big question for cycling fans is: how will Van Gils and Van Eetvelt measure up against riders like Tadej Pogacar and Tom Pidcock? In the French one-day races, Van Gils hasn’t yet faced such names, although he emphasizes that those races in the Ardeche are extremely tough. "I think those French races are hugely underestimated. They are always super challenging races, at a high level, and with a strong field of participants. Many good French riders, but also Ayuso and Skjelmose were there. Cold, wind... Two tough days."

Nevertheless, Pogacar will be a different story on Saturday, the Lotto-Dstny talent is well aware. "In Drome-Ardeche, I know I should be able to keep up with the best, if I grit my teeth. But Pogacar is like Remco Evenepoel, they have so much talent. When they go, you have to hope you have very good legs, or that they don’t go too fast."

Yet, this aligns with what Van Gils desires and where the team aims to guide him. "The team does expect me to be among the best this season; that’s the plan. I won’t be the rider who performs at the top every day for three weeks. I particularly enjoy the longer one-day races and the week-long or ten-day tours. Three weeks is too long for me; then, I prefer to do something different and enjoy joining a breakaway. Lennert is much more focused on that."

Van Eetvelt and Van Gils: Contrasts in harmony

So, Van Eetvelt, who has been mentioned a few times already. The 22-year-old climber, alongside Van Gils, represents the future of Lotto-Dstny, also this Saturday at Strade Bianche. "I think we stand on equal footing. We share a room and are both very motivated. The others will support us. We get along well, having shared rooms in the development team too. We know each other well, though we are like black and white. Completely different, but it works. We don’t talk much about racing; we just chat about silly things."

What exactly does Van Gils mean by black and white? He laughs, then gives an honest answer: "I cope well with changes. I’m down-to-earth, while Lennert always sticks strictly to routines and finds changes more challenging. Everything with him is always perfect, which is an advantage. Maybe not always with me." Another smile follows, especially when asked what would make the race successful for Van Gils on Saturday. "If one of us finishes in the top five, we should be satisfied. Whether that’s Lennert or me… Preferably myself, of course. You always want to be the best, but it’s a tough race. If you get three flats early on and have already spent some energy, it’s going to be difficult. If Lennert is fresher, then it’ll be up to him. We want to start the finale as fresh as possible."

To achieve this, extensive reconnaissance was done on Thursday and Friday, as was the case with all teams. "We did a good recon on Thursday, about 130 kilometers. The gravel sections were quite loose but less so than in previous years. No dust clouds, but lots of stones and potholes neatly filled with sand. Some sections were really hard, almost like asphalt. I was expecting a mudfest, but it was fine," says Van Gils, who, despite his cyclo-cross background, is pleased that the weather for Strade Bianche looks good. "I don’t like rain; I find it dreadful, but normally I perform well then. Still, I’d prefer a sunny Saturday, nice. Starting without overshoes looks much better than having clunky feet."