No grand tour for Jan Maas at strongly reinforced Jayco AlUla: "Remarkable additions to the team"

If there's one cycling team that's had a great start to the season, it's Jayco AlUla. The Australian-Saudi team managed to win the first two races on European soil this past weekend with Dylan Groenewegen and Michael Matthews, where domestique Jan Maas played a crucial role both times. IDLProCycling.com caught up with the always friendly and articulate Dutch rider!

Sharp as a knife, Maas turns to us in La Nucia, where Saturday's Classica Comunitat Valencia, won by Groenewegen, kicked off. "I had a very good winter," he confides in us right away. During those cold months, Maas reaped the benefits of his first major tour: he completed the Vuelta, but just barely. Struggling with a lung and airway infection and a broken rib, he made it to Madrid.

Nevertheless, finishing the Tour of Spain did have a positive impact. "I immediately noticed that a few percentages had been added and that everything runs a bit more smoothly," says Maas. "The effects of such a grand tour, a first grand tour, are no joke. You can really build a big engine from it. Everything runs more smoothly, your recovery is better, and you ride five to ten watts more in training. You really notice that," he concludes with satisfaction.

"It's nice to know. I feel that I am making small steps. The previous winters it was just one step, but now it might even be two or three. These small steps can lead to a big leap, which is quite nice," indicates the Dutchman, who has been competing at the WorldTour level since 2022.

Maas knows his place in the peloton all too well

With two or three extra steps of progress, one might start thinking about achieving results. But not necessarily Maas, who has always known his place very well. "I am very happy with the role I have within the team. I think I serve very well as the type of rider I am, and I enjoy doing that. As you improve, more opportunities naturally arise to target your own opportunities. But I also find it very rewarding to control races for Dylan Groenewegen and to achieve something great," says Maas, who has also been a regular in the European Championship and World Championship teams of national coach Koos Moerenhout.

So where will we see Maas in action in the coming weeks and months? "I will be riding the AlUla Tour and then the UAE Tour. After that, I'll head to Europe for Coppi e Bartali, the Basque Country, and then the Ardennes Classics. Normally, there's no Grand Tour included. That might be a bit disappointing, but I already know my entire annual program, and there are many other beautiful races in that plan. Although I'm still a reserve for the Vuelta, there normally isn't a Grand Tour included. But actually, that gives me a sense of calm."

Explain further, Jan. "I don't need to prove myself to be in a Grand Tour team. I know my program and, of course, things can happen, but there are now different priorities within the team. With Caleb Ewan, an extra sprinter has joined who brings three men for the lead-out. Dylan also takes a few with him in his races, and then there are climbers like Eddie Dunbar, Fillipo Zana, Simon Yates, and Mauro Schmid. The team is just very strong, so it's no shame not to ride a Grand Tour."

Jayco AlUla was seen by many fans as the winner of the last transfer winter: it attracted quite a bit of quality with Ewan, Schmid, Luke Plapp, and Max Walscheid. "It's incredible. All the riders who have joined complement the team very well and that also means we're going to race for victories more often. That brings pressure, but that's only good. That's how it goes in professional cycling," Maas knows.

His own contract ends at the end of 2024. "I just need to be consistent and play the role I've always had. With the team, we want to win a lot of races and if I can contribute to that, then that's my main goal. I'm very happy with this team, which is why I would also like to extend my contract," concludes the Dutchman, who has already made a step in the right direction in his first two races of 2024.