🇳🇱 #NKwielrennen Dylan 🥇 Olav 🥈 Wow.
Playing it smart, that's right up Van Baarle and Jumbo-Visma's alley: "Against a rider like Mathieu, sometimes you just have to"
CyclingSunday, 25 June 2023 at 14:55
Dylan van Baarle is the new Dutch national champion! The 31-year-old Jumbo-Visma rider broke away strongly in the finals of the Dutch National Championships on Sunday and nobody managed to catch up with him. Afterwards, the man from Voorburg was overjoyed.
"Purely on instinct, actually," Van Baarle described his attack in the last ten kilometers of the race to the gathered press. "One way or another, I just had this feeling. Van der Poel had already made several moves, and I knew I couldn't follow him if he went for it again. I know my strengths and limitations, so I told Olav (Kooij, ed.) to follow Mathieu. That way, I could break away at my own pace."
"If you have to race against a rider like Mathieu van der Poel, sometimes you have to play it smart," stated the cyclist, who had already told his mother before the race that he was feeling good. It sounds simple, and with the form Van Baarle had on Sunday, it may have been. "I had a calm feeling in my body over the past few days, just like last year. I knew my form was coming along nicely, but this wouldn't have been possible without certain guys," referring to all his Jumbo-Visma teammates, who responded everywhere.
Furthermore, Olav Kooij and Robert Gesink were in the early breakaway. "It wasn't the plan for Olav to be in the break, but it worked out perfectly. He had a good locomotive with Robert, and we kept responding well behind them. I could keep myself calm."
Van Baarle proud to bear red, white and blue in Tour de France
"Truly very happy," Van Baarle describes his emotions. It's understandable because we hadn't seen him in front for a while. "Especially after a failed spring season, with lots of bad luck and illness, this feels extra good," he says, referring to a crash in the E3 and his subsequent illness. "The Dauphiné went really well, and then I had a good training camp in Tignes. I can't be anything but satisfied. Getting to wear the red, white and blue in the Tour is a dream."
The winner of the Dutch Championship won't be returning home before starting the Tour de France. Van Baarle, who resides in Monaco, will fly directly from his parents' house to Bilbao, where the Tour de France begins this coming Saturday. There, he is one of the key domestiques for Jonas Vingegaard.
Van Baarle and Kooij celebrate gold and silver
jum
Il Lombardia 2024
The Pogacar effect: How Tadej has shaped the career of Matthews in a crucial way
Can Decathlon AG2R's big budget strike back against the 'Big Four' this spring?
Is Van der Poel skipping race in Hulst because of last year’s spitting incident? "We hope not, there must be a reason"
Boonen hasn’t forgotten about Cancellara’s "motor": "I don’t know what’s true, or what isn't"
Meanwhile in the peloton | Good news for Lars van den Berg: "But the road to the top is still long"
Latest Cycling News
The Pogacar effect: How Tadej has shaped the career of Matthews in a crucial way
Can Decathlon AG2R's big budget strike back against the 'Big Four' this spring?
Is Van der Poel skipping race in Hulst because of last year’s spitting incident? "We hope not, there must be a reason"
Boonen hasn’t forgotten about Cancellara’s "motor": "I don’t know what’s true, or what isn't"
Meanwhile in the peloton | Good news for Lars van den Berg: "But the road to the top is still long"
Popular Cycling News
New gear aims to make Vingegaard and Van Aert faster: "Perfectly suited to the riders' needs"
Cycling transfers WorldTour 2025 | Uno-X unwraps Christmas gift from Jayco AlUla: Grøndahl Jansen makes the move
Meanwhile in the peloton | Good news for Lars van den Berg: "But the road to the top is still long"
Cycling kits 2025: Movistar and Jayco AlUla embrace bold new designs, Bardiani revamps with focus on detail
Pogacar intimidates competition just before Christmas dinner with the most prestigious KOM in the training area
Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024