L'ALBIR (Spain) – Arvid De Kleijn arrives in the hall with the tired step of someone who has just woken up. The withdrawal of the Tudor Pro Cycling Team It's almost over, there will be another one in January and judging by the hard work of every member of staff, by then the team will have climbed another notch.
De Kleijn, which literally means “the little one” in Dutch, is actually a compact and agile sprinter, 1,71 m tall and weighing 68 kgAmong his sporting merits, among the approximately 15 victories since he started cycling, there is that his debut in 2023 was also the first for the newly formed Swiss teamObtained on Italian roads, beating Gaviria at the Milan-TurinThere was a world championship-caliber joy around the Tudor flagships.
Arvid has short hair parted on the left and a friendly look. He came to cycling late, having a good background in football behind him.. Evidently, however, it took him little time to take the measures, if it is true that in 2023, in addition to the Milan-Turin, he took home five other victories (the third stage of the ZLM Tour opens).
What does it mean to you to be the team's first winner?
It means a lot, actually. Plus, considering the race I won, it was even more beautiful. And what matters most is that after Milan-Turin I had a really positive season, for me and for my trainWe hadn't had much time to get to know each other, but it clicked right away. It's really nice to have around. a group of comrades who trust me, as I trust themIt was a really good season. I was sure that, with a team that truly supported me, I could do things like this. But there's a world of difference between saying and doing. And winning is the hard part of cycling.
You arrived quite late to the group, why?
I started at 16 and I became a professional when I was already 25 years oldI was already quite strong at the regional level, to the point of appearing in some professional races, and this allowed me to sign a contract with Riwal, a Danish team. From there I moved on to the American Rally Cycling which the following year, in 2022, became Human Powered HealthWe haven't had any great races, but They allowed me to show my potential and provided me with a train. So Tudor finally noticed me and now here I am.
What did you do before discovering the bicycle?
Other sports. Lots of football and gymnastics tooa. Cycling was in the air, even though I didn't have any other examples in my family. I'd always been very interested in it, and at a certain point, around 16, I wanted to give it a try. But I was also good at soccer; I was really good. I was winning, it was nice for a while, but then I stopped enjoying it. Until a boy came to me and told me he thought I had a talent for cycling. He gave me a bike, and that's when it all began.
Have you always been a sprinter?
The opposite (smiles, ed.). At the beginning and for a few years I always thought I was a climberPhysically, I was a late grower, so I was really small and light. As a junior I was a fast climber, let's say a finisherThen, when I turned 23, I began to truly develop and became a man. At that point, I discovered I was capable of sprinting really well. My numbers were so high that I thought about converting to a sprinter.
And now do you prefer the mental attitude of a climber or a sprinter?
The sprinter's: all or nothing. Sprinting is like a game. Hill climbs are beautiful to watchThe riders suffer and sometimes it is truly spectacular to see how big the gaps can be. But for me, who am a sprinter, it is more exciting to see the sprints, if you really understand what's going on.
After a season like last year, what kind of winter are you having and what are your goals for 2024?
I'm 29 years old, but as I said, I'm a late bloomer and I think I can still improve. So I'm looking forward to doing bigger races with my train and testing ourselves at higher levelsI'd like to have consistency and be able to compete all year long: whether we win or not doesn't just depend on us. The team is growing very quickly and it's super nice to see.
Did you expect it?
It's impressive to see the speed at which changes occur, that's why I'd like to continue growing with them. It's a really nice environment, and I think we'll do a really good job. Sometimes I feel like we're going too fast, but that's not the case. The truth is that Tudor Pro Cycling has many ambitions and the riders are no less. So everyone is pushing for more. It's a really great environment to be in.
What do you think of Fabian Cancellara as the team's starter?
It's great to have him around. Fabian he has a lot of experience, not only with the classics and time trials, but in general as a person. I think we can all learn from a man like that, who is also very kind.
What do you remember about Milan Turin?
That I had fallen and still was really anxious to do well. In the pre-race meeting, I told the boys that we had to believe and that we could do well despite the high level. And looking at them, I saw that they believed in it too. We had a good plan, we followed it, we won, and it was fantastic. Everyone was super happy and I found out that my parents had come too.
From Holland for the Milan-Turin?
They hadn't told me anything. They have a house in France, in the Alps, near the Rhone Valley. And at first I thought they might come. However, since I hadn't heard from them again, I was convinced that they would have seen it on television., because when they come to the races they are always stressed. Instead, after the finish line, Suddenly my father appeared out of nowhere and hugged meThere are even videos showing it. It was beautiful. This is what I remember about the Milan-Turin race, it was a really beautiful day.
