Van der Poels domestiques of Visma | LAB in top form to World Championship: "One of the greatest talents I've ever worked with"
Cycling
Visma | Lease a Bike did not immediately gain a foothold in the Tour of Luxembourg, but there is total confidence that the team's two Dutch delegates will perform at the elite men's World Championship. IDLProCycling.com spoke with team manager Arthur van Dongen about Wilco Kelderman and Bart Lemmen, who he believes are completely ready for the World Championship.
On Sunday, the two Dutchmen will be part of a nine-man selection revolving around leader Mathieu van der Poel. The latter showed in the Tour of Luxembourg that he is ready to defend the title. In Zürich, Kelderman and Lemmen will initially have to serve as domestiques in that respect. "I have a lot of confidence in this team, a mix of experienced and younger riders, adapted to the difficulty of the course. I expect a nice battle where anything can happen during this course. And we hope for another great result with Mathieu; we will fight for that as a team," said national coach Koos Moerenhout.
Read more below the photo.
Why is Wilco Kelderman always good?
On a challenging course, Van der Poel can use all the help of his eight teammates. Kelderman can play an essential role, as proven by his form in the Tour of Poland and Luxembourg. "He has been perfect for a long time now, with a strong Tour de France, then some gas back, and then he needed the Clasica San Sebastián to be good again in Poland. We expect him to maintain that fine form these weeks," Van Dongen said.
The real question is: How do they manage to have Kelderman always be good? He also rode in the top ten in Paris-Nice and the Tour of Switzerland. Van Dongen is ecstatic about the now 33-year-old climber. "Wilco is one of the most extraordinary talents I have ever worked with. He just has a very high base-level standard. He's always very good, although we only let him race when Wilco is ready."
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Bart Lemmen may surprise again in debut season
For Lemmen, the World Championship selection is new, and it is a year in which the 28-year-old all-rounder is surprised day after day. Fifth in the Tour Down Under, 10th in the UAE Tour, second in the Tour of Norway, a debut in the Tour de France, and recently good in the Canadian one-day races. "Riding the Tour de France has been very beneficial for him. This year has been an excellent investment towards next season, where he can take another step with a good winter," Van Dongen again sounds positive.
"For example, we would like to see him work in the Walloon classics, which didn't work out this year due to a collarbone fracture. He would do well there, just like in one-week stage races. Winning will happen next season," continues Van Dongen, who said goodbye to Kelderman and Lemmen after the Tour of Luxembourg. It is up to the KNWU to get the two from Visma | Lease a Bike at the start in the best possible way. "We try to create the best possible route to the World Championships for the riders, but once they get there, we have little to no influence. Then they are with the union, but we certainly take the World Championship into account in our planning. I expect Kelderman and Lemmen to be ready for the World Championship."
Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])
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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