While the Tour of Italy continues, the rest of the cycling world is not sitting idly by. There are many races scheduled on the calendar and last Saturday a particular one took place, the Veenendaal-Veenendaal in Holland. Special because, born in 1985, It is one of the very few remaining classics reserved specifically for sprinters: a race without significant difficulties, a long ride towards the final solution which is almost always a bunch sprint.
Scrolling through the order of arrival of the last edition we discover that at the foot of the podium in the race in which he tasted the flavour of success again Dylan Groenewegen, there was Jakub Mareczko, the sprinter of theAlpecin-Fenix who was at the Giro d'Italia, ending his experience prematurely. Something like this would not have been allowed until a few years ago. Anyone who retired from a grand tour had to stay put until its conclusion. However, pressure from the teams pushed the UCI to review this rule.
Mareczko, who is currently in Belgium to follow the Northern calendar, applauds this choice which allowed him to return to competition earlier than expected: «It's an extra opportunity given to riders to simply do their job.. Furthermore, I was able to find races that were more suited to my characteristics, more than the Giro d'Italia."
So let's start again with the Giro d'Italia. That wasn't in your plans, was it?
I learned I had to run it two days before the start… Tim merlier The sprinter who was the candidate for the race had injured his elbow and hadn't recovered in time, so they called me up as the team's sprinter, considering we didn't have a man for the general classification. The fact is, I wasn't in peak condition either: in Turkey I'd fractured my scaphoid, and my recovery was slow, and that affected me a bit.
You were actually only able to compete in the Hungarian portion…
Yes, because on the fourth day on Etna all my endurance problems emerged. Furthermore, this year I'm suffering particularly from allergies and in Sicily I just couldn't breathe.The team had also sent me a companion to help me climb the mountain when I lost the group's wheels, but I felt really bad, so I preferred to give up.
Yet in Hungary you didn't do badly.
No, in the only sprint available, on the third stage, I had finished fifth. The team had worked very well, and Mathieu was in front to lead me to the final sprint. but at the roundabout of the last corner an opponent took me off his wheelAt that point I had to invent the sprint, but with a little more luck in my preparation I could have done even better.
Even though your experience was short, how was Van Der Poel's first Giro in the Alpecin?
From that point of view I can only say good things about it. The team runs for Mathieu and Mathieu runs for the teamIn that sprint, he had willingly made himself available, and with his power he was putting me in the ideal position for the sprint. This is something that someone who cares about everyone's results does, not just runs for himself.
And after the retreat?
I stayed out for a couple of days, underwent possible therapies for the allergy, but above all, I was able to do some proper training, and I felt better. In Belgium, the air is also more breathable for me at this time, so in Veenendaal I was another Mareczko.
What kind of race is the Dutch one, is it really one of the few left for you sprinters?
Yes, although it has its difficulties. It's a nervous race, with narrow streets typical of Holland, where you always have to be careful while driving.For example, at the beginning there was a lot of wind and Jumbo Visma fanned out, luckily we stayed in front but the group split up.
Where will we see you again?
I'm continuing with the races between Belgium and the Netherlands. As I said, I can breathe better here and express myself. Today is the Walloon Circuit and another race on Sunday. Let's hope we can bring something home, Saturday's fourth place was satisfying for how it came about and what it meant, but I want and am worth more..
And then what?
I don't know what the program will be yet, but I definitely won't be at the Tour.
Accidents aside, how do you rate this first part of the season?
It started well in February, with the stage victory and the points classification at the Tour of Turkey, and it was going very well, then the crashes and the allergies slowed me down a bit. Now I'm recovering, we'll see how the next races go but I'm optimistic.
