For a few moments, having crossed the finish line, Dylan Groenewegen He stopped. A mechanic and his assistant approached to provide initial post-race assistance, but just looking at him was enough. For a few moments, he didn't want to be touched or disturbed. He stared intently at that 15-year-old boy who had just beaten him in a cyclocross race, and meanwhile many images, from the present and the past, flashed through his mind.
He thought back to when he was 15: he got on a bike to follow family tradition, he rode for the simple pleasure of it. Only then did he begin to enjoy it, Only later would he understand that this could be his path, that of success and economic prosperityImagine that he achieved his first results at the age of 18: 2nd at the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and at the national junior championships.
National champion at 15 years old
Perhaps in those few seconds, the Dutch sprinter imagined a similar fate for that little boy, wearing the national champion's jersey. Michiel Mouris, the best in his category, the best in that race too, theAmsterdam Cross Competition. A regional demonstration, which Groenewegen had identified as useful for changing the training a bitWinning wasn't important; what mattered was working hard. However, if the one beating you is someone who's barely half your age...
The thing that made the rider think so much BikeExchange It was like that kid could keep up with his rhythm in the long, unimpeded passages where speed develops. He was struggling, Dylan felt it, he could hear his labored breathing, but he was there, hooked, and it wasn't like he was the one going slow. In fact...
The technical difference
«It was special to beat Dylan – the very young Michiel told the microphones of Nhnieuws.nl – when he was developing speed I tried to stay as close to his wheel as possible, in the technical sections I saw that I could stay ahead of him and I took advantage of it».
Adding to Michiel's joy was his brother Wessel, who came in third. Nineteen years old, the eldest of the Mouris is already more accredited in the road scene, having also raced in the last Under 23 Giro in the ranks of Wielerploeg Groot Amsterdam and those responsible for the matter have set their sights on him Scorpions Racing Team, a new Dutch continental team that will debut in 2023 with great ambitions. Given the premises, the path is also open for the younger and more talented brother.
A profitable workout
After cleaning up and changing on a very cold day, Groenewegen wanted to have his say and his words were like honey for his opponent: «I think I might have lost Mathieu Van Der Poel from the future, given how he rode and how easy he was to ride.For me, cyclocross is fun, in this case, training. I'm just a cyclist, but a 15-year-old boy going really fast really impresses me, especially when I think about what I was like at his age."
Then comes the time of wisdom and almost paternal advice: «He is really talented, but the time will come when he will have to dedicate himself seriously to this sport.». As if to say: only then will we truly know what he is made of.
The weight of comparison
During the interview, an amused and satisfied smile was evident on his face: «At least with second place I take home the bouquet of flowers… It was a good training now that you have to build your condition, something different, for me cyclocross is thisMichiel was better than me and when someone gets ahead for that there is nothing else to do but applaud them…».
As Dylan got back in the car to head home, Michiel thought back to those words: "The future Van Der Poel..." Who knows if it was a gift to him to say them in front of journalists, who would have reported them and made headlines (as actually happened). Now they weigh even more than that tricolour jersey of the national champion: how much responsibility for a little boy…
