Jelle Van Damme (40) links every sports fan to grass and a ball, but his football career is followed by a career on the bicycle. The former defender trains – as Greg Van Avermaet noted, among others – like an animal and will even participate in competitions. And with the ex-Olympic champion there is (hopefully) also a well-known trip to the States on the program.
“It’s a hobby that has gotten out of hand,” chuckled Jelle Van Damme last weekend at the Velofollies bicycle fair.
It was his first visit to the toy store for cycling fans, but it was not a casual trip.
“In my family it was always about football and cycling. My niece is Evy Van Damme (ex-Belgian champion). I once stopped playing football for a year to race with the newcomers.”
“Fortunately, I started playing football again afterwards, but after my retirement I bought a bicycle and have now received an Elite 3 permit,” the ex-footballer explains.
I don’t want to ride a bike just for the sake of riding. I also want to qualify for the Clay World Cup.
Jelle Van Damme
Those hours on the bike have rekindled the old fire: in March Van Damme will ride his first fair races of this year.
In the last 2 months he spent 3 weeks in Spain to train with pros, ex-pros and buddies such as Loïc Vliegen, Tim Declercq and Greg Van Avermaet.
“His drive and passion are nice,” the ex-Olympic champion added during the double interview with Karl Vannieuwkerke. “It was nice to go out together.”
“I mainly want to have fun,” Van Damme said. At the end of December he also took part in the Turbo Cross in Diegem.
“But on the other hand, I don’t want to cycle just for the sake of riding. That’s how I want to qualify for the World Championships on gravel.”
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200 kilometers or 200 miles?
But the duo hatches another plan. “We registered for Unbound,” Van Avermaet explained. The grueling gravel race in the US has become extremely popular in recent years.
“We would like to ride together and I will accompany Jelle a bit. I told him it is only 200 kilometers, but it is 200 miles,” the Rio gold medalist joked.
“We now have to wait for the draw to see if we can ride there together. Whether it is for me with Jelle or not? That can still be discussed,” Van Avermaet continued to laugh.
An impression of Unbound? Watch the adventures of Jan Bakelants on VRT Max.
2024-01-24 08:12:00
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