Did the spring savior Soudal take the quick step? Initially, the Amstel Gold Race was not on the Maury Vansevenant programme, but the Belgian finished fourth. He had to overcome frantic preparations during a long car ride. “But the motivation is there again to give it a full chance,” shares the Walloon Flèche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège diptych.
His boost in the Amstel Gold Race is physically exhausting and most importantly: it gives Maury Vansevenant plenty of energy to tackle the Walloon and Liège-Bastogne-Liège races.
The latter had been planned since the start of the season, which was not the case for the Dutch Classic. Due to the fall of Remco Evenepoel in the Basque Country, the plan changed for the Belgian, who was alone in a training period in Andorra.
“I decided not to drive home until Friday,” Vansevenant says of his 12-hour trip. “Fortunately, the French roads were also low on traffic, so the 1,100km wasn't too bad.”
“It's certainly not ideal to sit in the car for a long time, but no one expects your leader to fail. Obviously we did well on the hills,” he winks after finishing fourth.
That little extra to be able to compete in the finals is now available.
Maori Vansevenant
Although that could have been a podium finish – or who knows, even a win.
“But it all happened so fast,” Vansevenant puts it in perspective. “I responded to Pinot's acceleration. In retrospect, I would have been better off watching the cat out of the tree, but that's easy to say. It's a shame it didn't quite work out, but it gives hope for the future.”
Because last season was not an easy year for the Belgian from Soudal – a quick step due to injuries: “So it is a relief. There is now a little extra to be able to compete in the finals. This gives a lot of motivation to the team.” Upcoming competitions.”
Suddenly he had to decorate the team's spring with good results. Which role creates additional pressure?
“It's been a tough spring for the team. It's not easy to compete against riders of a different class. So it's up to us not to keep our heads down and hurt them in a different way.”
“But the fourth place I got doesn't change much. I just want to get back the good feeling and the fun in the race,” Vansevenant concluded.
“Subtly charming internet specialist. Avid writer. Friendly alcohol guru. Music ninja. Devoted social media fanatic.”
More Stories
Giro 2024: Bahrain’s victor climbs to the podium with Caruso and Tiberi
Former national team coach finishes title candidate: “The worst of the three”
Will Newey leave for Ferrari? “unlikely”