«We are trying to integrate time trials a bit more into our overall standings for next year», they are land words from Thymen Arensman after last Sunday's world time trial, when the Dutchman finished with a more than good ninth place.
Arensman was born in 1999, in December, he therefore has yet to turn 26. We Italians have already seen it four times a Tour of Italy and above all this year he impressed with the two successes at Tour de France. Having made this picture, we wanted to ask Dario David Cioni, technician of Ineos Grenadiers, with whom Arensman is racing, if Thymen can really be a man to bet on for the general classification of the Grand Tours, especially since the British team is going through a phase of renewal and there are currently no Froome or Wiggins of a time. And not even anymore pidcock.
Dario, let's start with the world time trial in Rwanda. Did you expect a performance like this?
In the end Tymen did a good job, though It must also be said that he has always done well in time trials. Last year too, if I remember correctly, he always finished the Giro time trials in the top five (fourth and third, ed.). And then there's something else to say.
What?
That in Rwanda, once you've taken out the top 5-6 specialists, the quality has declined. I think the level will be higher at the next European Championships. And then it was also a time trial suited to him, a general classification man, being so tough. If we go to see only Remco Evenepoel He broke the 49-kph average barrier. The others all remained below or well below it, a sign that it was a slow time trial. While today they're all doing 53-54 kph.
Let's talk about his season. The two stages of the Tour de France undoubtedly stand out...
His goal was to I ranked high in the Giro and it didn't go well. However, the work done in the Giro d'Italia laid a good foundation for the Tour, where he not only won two stages, but also won one of them from the front, not from a long breakaway. He also achieved other placings, such as on Mont Ventoux and second place at Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy. If he underperformed at the Giro, he certainly exceeded expectations in France.
As we mentioned at the beginning, Arensman would like to do well in the overall standings. Do you think that's within his reach?
Let's see the decisions we will make. He is a young man and when he tried to rank he didn't quite hit the target, while he showed more when it came to aiming for the stages of the Grand Tours.
So is it the team that decides or is the athlete's wishes taken into consideration?
Surely in the past, even with him, we liked to make rankings, but then the team's and the athlete's goals must be combined and when possible they align themselves.
But maybe this was the year of maturation. How do you know?
You know it when it happens… I'd say it's hard to predict. Everyone has different paths. Let's say that… We learn from mistakes and take inspiration from unexpected successes. Overall, we can say that Arensman has the numbers, otherwise you don't win by staying with the best group.
Why do you think, Dario, Thymen didn't do well at the Giro? And yet he came from a good background. Tour of the Alps where he had also won…
Well, if we'd known, we'd have already adjusted our approach. The season still needs to be analyzed in this regard.
What do you think it needs to grow into?
In the consistency of performance, but in particular I would say that it wastes time in the first week and more precisely in the first two or three stages, Especially in these Grand Tours, which now feature challenging stages right from the start. It's no coincidence that he immediately lost a lot in the first stage in Albania this year.
Why? Is it a question of position, of team stress, which is high in the early stages, or a physical issue, or is it more a question of the "engine" not yet being run in?
I'd say more of a rhythm issue: Thymen can't find it right away. And we need to understand why. Then, even from a positioning standpoint, we can say that it's not bad, but it also has room for improvement.
Earlier you talked about goals that need to align between the athlete and the team: when does this happen?
Usually the technicians do the seasonal debriefing first, they analyze everything and then, Between November and December, while also waiting for the Grand Tour routes, the programmes are drawn up. But first, I repeat, information from the previous year is needed.
What are Arensman's commitments now?
On Sunday he will compete in the road world championship and then finish with the Italian races.
