The sometimes reckless racing behavior of riders and the many crashes have not left our spy in the peloton unaffected. But our professional rider would like to make a comment.
“I read that Ben Hermans complains about the respect in the peloton. And that young riders in particular are increasingly shying away from risks.”
“But that is the eternal story of riders who get a little older and start to think more about the race.”
“It is true that young people are taking a different course than before.”
“Certainly in the time of Ben Hermans, as a youth rider you started from scratch with the pros. You had to prove yourself by getting water bottles and riding at the head of the peloton.”
“Now things are different: young riders gain much more confidence, are played as shadow leaders in their debut year and have to fight more for their place in the peloton.”
The wrong approach with Vervaeke
“It is a good thing that young people are immediately given opportunities. Several talented careers have fallen into nothing due to the wrong approach.”
“Then I think of Louis Vervaeke, for example. Young climbing talents from his time were deployed everywhere and misused.”
“In his first professional year, Vervaeke had to ride Nokere Koerse as a climber. A year later he had to take the lead in Le Samyn. Races that are not for him.”
“Vervaeke did not excel in the climbing races, which put him in a negative spiral. That was a shame.”
The fact that young riders take more risks is inherent to their age.
Spy in the platoon
“Fortunately, those times are over. If you now finish on the podium of the Tour of the Future, you will receive a balanced program with the necessary altitude training.”
“So it is only positive that the youth are now better guided. This means they are very strong at a young age and no longer have to learn the trade.”
“The fact that they take more risks is inherent to their age. I remember that they called Arnaud De Lie a half-wit in the peloton in his first professional year.”
“But now De Lie is much more careful. As a 21-year-old you see no danger. But as you get older and have been at home for weeks with injuries, you start to look at life differently. You start to think and become more careful. Also at De Lie It was so.”
Louis Vervaeke in his Lotto debut.
Then you should go gravel biking
“I no longer consider myself among the youngest riders.”
“But if I have to fight for my place in the peloton at a crucial point, I also drive with blinders.”
“You should not pretend to be holier than the Pope.”
“The pack is a collection of alpha males who all want to be in the right place.”
“If you no longer want to fight for your position in the peloton, then you should start gravel biking. That is the cruel reality of the race.”
Team leaders often shout unnecessarily into their ears.
Spy in the platoon
“I must admit that the advance of VeloViewer ensures that racing is even more aggressive. With less and less respect for each other.”
“In the past you only had a road book in which 10 points were indicated where it could happen.”
“With VeloViewer, the team management scours the entire course online before the race. They check the wind conditions live everywhere. And for fear of missing something, they indicate 35 points where something could happen.”
“That causes a lot of stress and chaos in the peloton.”
“That stress is then transferred through the ears. The team leaders also shout loudly in our team. Often unnecessary.”
The pack is increasingly hunted game.
Jumping on bike paths
“I also notice that there is more jumping on cycle paths, which can also lead to dangerous situations.”
“Normally the rule applies: you can ride on the cycle path if it is an extension of the road and at the same level.”
“As soon as you have to jump, it is not allowed to ride on the cycle path.”
“But in Flanders the cycle path infrastructure is so poor that that rule is open to interpretation.”
“I will never be the first to jump on a cycle path. But when I see everyone else doing it, I join in. You shouldn’t pretend to be holier than you are.”
“Ultimately, it remains the responsibility of the riders to conduct risk analysis in all situations.”
“You are an adult person who has to decide for himself whether he wants to take risks or not.”
A photo from 2018: Iljo Keisse shouts at Brice Feillu that he is not allowed to cycle on the cycle path.
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2024-04-12 10:10:45
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