It was a more than successful Opening Weekend for Visma-Lease a Bike with two victories, signed by Jan Tratnik and Wout van Aert. However, it was not all roses and moonshine for the Dutch team. For example, Tiesj Benoot had to give up in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.
Benoot was the defending champion in Kuurne, but is still suffering the consequences of his crash in The Tour of the Algarve. Sports director Arthur van Boven was able to report this. “He is suffering from the injuries he sustained in the Algarve,” it sounds somewhat worrying. Although he now has time to recover in Tenerife.
“That is of course not good or pleasant, but he is now going to heights. We can treat him well there and he can train well, after which hopefully it will not be a problem for the rest of his competition program,” Van Boven told In de Leiderstrui.
Height stimulus
After all, Benoot is doing an altitude training camp – including with Wout van Aert – in order to be able to be at the top in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. He once again clarifies this approach to HLN. “If you go on an altitude training course in February, you will come back very well for the opening weekend and Strade Bianche, but the Tour of Flanders will follow more than a month later.”
“By then, the effect of that height stimulus in February will still be minimal. I firmly believe in this approach, but you have to sacrifice other courses for something you are not actually sure about because it is a step into the unknown, no matter how logical it sounds.”
