Hermans still recovering from "fairly intensive" training camp: "I'll have to tell Mathieu to take it a bit easier"

Not only Mathieu van der Poel but also Gianni Vermeersch, Timo Kielich and Quinten Hermans made their return to cyclo-cross on behalf of Alpecin-Deceuninck on Saturday. Van der Poel (first), Vermeersch (eighth) and Hermans (ninth) all finished in the top ten, so it was a good comeback for the riders belonging to the Roodhooft brothers' core team.

Hermans shared the same sentiment afterward. The Belgian took his time to speak to the press in Herentals after the race, but a steward eventually kindly asked him to make way for the fans who wanted to watch the podium ceremony for his teammate Van der Poel.

"I haven't spent too much time on the cyclo-cross bike yet, so I was actually happy with how it went," Hermans explained. "It's quite challenging to get back into that cyclo-cross rhythm; it's something very different. I won't say that feeling is completely gone, but you do need to readjust. It's a very different kind of effort."

Hermans sees cyclo-cross winter as ideal preparation for the road and sees leader Van der Poel immediately dominate cross

Last season, he focused on the European Cyclocross Championships, but this winter, Hermans is approaching things a bit differently. "I think this is an ideal preparation for my road program. I simply enjoy doing this a lot, and it's what I have been doing for the past fifteen years, so it's enjoyable to get back to it. But now more as a way to stay motivated, especially because it would otherwise be a very long period to bridge."

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Hermans spent the past few weeks on Tenerife and the Costa del Azahar, where he and the Alpecin-Deceuninck team put in some serious work. "The training camp went well. It was quite intensive. We had a solid eight or nine days of serious training. We haven't been back for too long, so maybe it still needs to settle in a bit. But it shouldn't settle in too long because then Mathieu will be even further ahead," Hermans joked.

Van der Poel certainly made an impression on him in the Herentals cyclo-cross race. "It was fast right from the start, yes. I'll have to tell Mathieu on the bus next time to take it a bit easier," Hermans said with a wink. However, as a teammate, the puncher could have seen it coming. "To be honest, I did expect him to be this strong. The level he's cycling at is simply quite impressive. It's the same in training."

"It was, of course, a technical cyclo-cross, but he can handle that as well," Hermans summarized the qualities of the rainbow jersey. "On some sections, he could unleash his power, which he truly has as one of the best cyclo-cross and road riders of the moment," Hermans concluded. He is expected to continue his cyclo-cross season on Friday at the Zilvermeer in Mol.