Arnaud De Lie is only 21 years old, but he is increasingly labeled as “the new Tom Boonen”. What does “the real Tom Boonen” think about that comparison?
“I sincerely hope so,” Boonen replied on Saturday in Kortrijk. “I just met him recently and everything I thought is true. He’s a cool bull, no nonsense.”
“Arnaud is very strong, mentally and physically. The sky is the limit for him. Look at the European Championship,” Boonen refers to De Lie’s phenomenal lead-out for Wout van Aert. “You rarely see songs like that.”
According to Boonen, the pressure should not be a burden for De Lie. “He can handle that well. And maybe he can copy what I once did at the starting Quick Step. We weren’t that good in the beginning either.”
De Lie is aiming for a classic victory this spring. A realistic goal? “What is good comes quickly. We have seen that even more in recent years than before.”
“Arnaud must be able to finish among the top players. I’m not saying that he will win, but he will compete for a win.”
Last year, Tom Boonen said on Velofollies that he had “started looking forward to competing again”. Boonen mainly thought about gravel.
But a year later he changed his mind. “Competition no longer makes me happy. I have many things that make me happier than pinning on a shirt number.”
Boonen and Marcel Kittel are already looking forward to spring. According to the duo, Mathieu van der Poel – who else? – the man in the upcoming classics.
Boonen: “Everyone who turned on their TV this winter will point in the same direction. Mathieu reaches a level at which I have not yet seen him.”
Tadej Pogacar will not participate in the Tour of Flanders. Is that a blessing for competitors like Wout van Aert? “With such a good Van der Poel it is more of a disadvantage. The more souls, the merrier.”
“What disappoints me a bit,” Kittel added, “is the negative vibe around Van Aert. He remains a top rider with so much talent. I still believe in him.”
2024-01-22 05:33:00
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