Ten years have passed since Alfredo Martini's passing, yet there are those in Belgium who would benefit from his art and wisdom. To build the team for the next European championships e to bring Philipsen and Merlier to an agreement (the two are together with Matthews in the opening) it would be really precious the ability to synthesize those who lined up Moser with Saronni. Or Bugno, Fondriest and Argentin. But Alfredo is no longer there and For Sven Vantohurenhout, the choice looks like a tough nut to crack.. So much so that he declared that he was going through the most difficult moment of his career.
Lefevere's provocation
Making his task even more difficult was Patrick Lefevere, Merlier's manager at Soudal-Quick StepAfter praising the technician's skills, the old Belgian said he was certain that Vantohurenhout would bring his rider to the European Championships. Because in his opinion he deserves it more than the other. Because it's true that Philipsen won. three stages at the Tour, to which Merlier (who he won 3 at the Giro) did not participate, having to make room for Evenepoel, but he would have done so only thanks to Van der Poel.
"I hope that this choice isn't based on political games," he said. "I know the riders themselves aren't enthusiastic about it, but If I were the national team coach, I would select both Merlier and Philipsen, because both can run their own raceIn a stage race, a team with two sprinters is never a good idea, but the European Championships last one day. Sometimes the best choice is not to make a choice at all.».
Like at Zolder 2002
In reality, Franco Ballerini was also needed. The Tuscan coach, who had Martini by his side at the time, found himself making the team for the World Championships in Zolder. The area is the same and the route is similar too: 222 kilometers with just 1.273 meters of altitude difference.And that time, Ballero, to give Cipollini a sprint, brought Petacchi and Lombardi, with the young Bennati as reserve. There was a sort of pact of honor between the Azzurri and everything worked perfectly.Will the Belgians be able to do the same?
"I answer the phone every day and stay in touch with the riders," Vanthourenhout says. "I want to give the team a name soon. We're all actually looking at those two names, but the roster is much larger. We also have Meeus, Thijssen, Van Aert or De Lie. There are so many good sprinters right now. But of course, if we're talking about top-quality pure sprinters, we go back to Philipsen and Merlier. If I have to leave one at home, it will be very important to clearly communicate the reason why I made the decision. But with Jasper and Tim it's a very difficult thing. There are no arguments in favor of one over the other."
The Van Aert variable
The speech leads in the same direction indicated by Lefevere, provided that in the end both converge on a single sprint and not on two parallel sprints. The solution could throw the opponents into disarray, but it could also crumble the strength of the Belgian team.
"We're evaluating whether it's possible to have both," explains Vantohurenhout, who has already managed Evenepoel's cohabitation with Van Aert in Wollongong and Paris. "However, My point of view has always been that a team with two sprinters is very difficult to lead..Tim and Jasper know my location."
The two they ran together in 2021 and 2022 and he often happened to participate in the same races, but then Merlier was the already established sprinter and Philipsen the youngster pushing to get out. Now the two are at least on par, except that In the meantime Philipsen won the Sanremo and came second in the Roubaix.
«I know they could do it – Vantohurenhout notes – but In the end, I will always be the one to make the decision: I will listen to them and then follow my instincts.If it doesn't end well, I'll be responsible for it. And if Van Aert were to say he wants to participate, things will be even more complicated, because at that point, it's not necessarily true that both sprinters will be needed. It's not that just because someone always and only does sprints, he can't do something different in the national team.Anyway, the team will arrive soon. I don't think it's my fault, but at the moment We have a huge abundance of riders with the same characteristics. It's a difficult puzzle to solve, but this week I'd like to unravel the last knots."
