Bentveld has ambitious future plans: "Hope to join world elite within a few years"

Leonie Bentveld is considered one of the greatest cyclo-cross talents in the Netherlands. The young woman riding for Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal showed several impressive performances as a junior, and currently, she is doing well among the U23's (often competing with the elite). IDLProCycling.com caught up with the rider from Burgum for a chat!

We spoke with the 19-year-old Bentveld after the World Cup race in Hulst, where she finished about two minutes behind winner Puck Pieterse. "I battled Sara Casasola in a sprint for fifth place. Unfortunately, I lost, but I am really very happy with my final result. I finished as the first U23 rider, so I should be very satisfied with that," she initially shares about that race in Zeeland.

Bentveld is making significant progress

Looking at the season as a whole, Bentveld - who earlier this winter impressively finished third in the World Cup race in Flamanville - is very satisfied with her performances. "Definitely. Last summer, I made a huge step forward. I'm glad that it's really showing. Comparing my results to last season, I see a lot of difference. Also, my gap to the absolute top riders has decreased a lot this year, so I can definitely say I am having a great season."

Bentveld mentioned them herself: the absolute top riders - by whom she is likely referring to women like Fem van Empel, Lucinda Brand, Shirin van Anrooij and Puck Pieterse. How large does she think the gap is currently? "Still quite large. But seeing the progress I've made over the past year gives me confidence. If I can continue to develop in this way, I hope to really close that gap within a few years."

Jumping barriers is a major focus for Bentveld

It's quite possible that we'll see the in-form Bentveld, the fourth-place finisher at the recent U23 European Championship, on the top step of the podium at the Belgian National Championship on Sunday, January 14. "That's really a goal of mine, together with the Cyclo-cross World Championships. But the World Cup is also very important to me," she adds, referring to her number one position in the U23 rankings. "I’m also extending my season beyond the World Championships. I'm a full-time cyclo-cross rider and I love doing it. In the meantime, aside from the National Championships, I will only ride World Cups."

"I would like to have more endurance. But that comes naturally as you get older," the lady from Friesland then says when we ask about specific areas for improvement. "In the future, jumping over barriers might become an attention point that I need to work on. That’s going to become increasingly important in women's cyclo-cross in the coming years. So I’m working hard on that. I'm doing quite well in that regard in training, but applying it in a race is obviously a different story. Your heart rate is very high in a race. And you don't really want to risk injuries, so you're not going to suddenly try it during a race. That's why I still often avoid the barriers. But I can say that it's getting better in training. Once you have 100 percent confidence in your skill, it will naturally work out."