José De Cauwer proud of Otto Jan: ‘It was an attack on his body and his family’ | cycling world championship

“It was Peter Hespel and his team that provided the framework for Elodie and Otto Jan,” says Jose de Quere, who doesn’t want to put too many feathers on his hat. “But I’ve also coached them from time to time and I’m pleasantly surprised by the result.”

“My role was to introduce Elodie and Otto-Jan for a time trial. I followed that quite fanatical. For example, I was able to experience their first time trial bike ride up close on the Zolder circuit.”

“If you see the route they’ve taken since, especially Otto Jan, who had never been involved in sports when he was 42, just give it a try!”

“Drive over 41 km/h for an hour, then you have to drive big parts at 45 km/h or more if you include the turns. He lost a lot of time there. So in and of itself I thought his performance was very punishing.”

The fact that Otto Jan has achieved his goal is a pressing issue among the general public. Can any “mortal” start a time trial? “No, to do that, you have to have a great personality,” De Cauwer learns.

“He was meticulous, following the schedule down to the smallest detail, while Elodie with her top sporting past could put it better. It was all new to him and it took a lot of energy.”

“When Otto Jan first came to see me, he lost 9 kg. He was almost shivering in his chair. My wife wanted to spoil him with things from the bakery, but he did not dare to touch it.”

Fortunately for Otto Jan, expert expert Jose de Coeur was ready with golden tips: “I told him it was a time-constant experiment and that he had to basically gain strength. A kilogram too much isn’t really the problem with a constant time trial. It added a little to his preparations” .

Punishment is the performance of DJ and radio and TV presenter without a doubt. Especially because he continued to work full time during those six months of preparation.

“Otto Jan, for example, trained for an hour in his garage when he found a hole. At one point he even lived to the limit, I think. It was an attack on his relationship with his family and his body.”

Sunday is the time. Then the elite men rode their time in trial. Was de Coeur up to date with the times of the opposition? Our commentator immediately says, “Sure!”

“I was happy that Christopher Symonds was riding, because the rest of the competition seemed so strong to me.”

“When I explored the track and saw the wind, I began to wonder if it would work. But I can’t help but congratulate him on the way he rode his time at trial.”

“Testing time is pure suffering and fighting yourself. For some knights to fall to the ground after the end is not a performance.”