Milan vs. Milan. No, it's not the classic weekend football headline of an Italian sports newspaper, but the summary through a simple slogan of one of the themes of the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne scheduled for today. With Jonathan Milan in search of a first classic seal finding among his opponents a young Belgian, Milan Fretin, who has impressed everyone at the start of the season, already taking two victories, between Almeria and Algarve.
The boy from Genk, who is almost 24 years old, is rapidly climbing the hierarchy not only of his team, but also Cofidis who needs his points like air, but also the same world sprint. He is perhaps the biggest surprise of this start of the season, but who is he really?
"When I was a kid, I started with motocross," he recounts from his Belgian training camp before the race. "Then I switched to cycling, but it was almost a forced choice after I broke my collarbone. I thought cycling was safer. I also took a course. I was 9, 10 years old, at that time I had to overcome my fear, because on the one hand I liked speed, on the other it scared me.Things started to take a more serious turn when I moved up to U23, at the end of the Lotto Soudal After racing in small Belgian teams, I spent two years in an important professional team like Sport Vlaanderen BaloisAnd last year I got the WT contract, I was super happy. It was also a four-year contract, which shows the French team's trust. I have to say thank you to Nico Mattan, who was my sports director when I was a junior and always supported me, being a great friend of my father. He gave me the right advice."
Did you expect such a strong start to the season, with two wins?
It's crazy. It's a dream for everyone, for every cyclist. Last year was already very strong, with a couple of successes that gave me the motivation to face a good winter. and to get even faster and I'm happy I did it, these results confirm that I'm on the right path.
Do you consider yourself a simple sprinter or do you think you have other characteristics?
It's still a bit of a mystery to me. The first victory at the Clasica de Almeria was a very fast sprint. In the last 10 years, great sprinters have always won.But it was a tough day, with almost 3.000 meters of elevation gain. I think I can stand out even on rough, difficult courses. And now with the classics, I'm curious to see if I can show how far I've come.
Is there a sprinter you look up to or are technically similar to?
Tom BoonenHe's a great champion, but humbly he's the one I think I'm most like, as well as Alaphilippe, he can sprint, but he can also climb very well. I have a lot of respect for him but I would like to face him head on, I think I could compete.
Last year you joined Cofidis. What changed for you after joining the French team?
It's always been a team I've admired. I remember when I was a junior, it was a jersey that inspired me. It's a French team that welcomed me really well. Last season was difficult. We had to wait a long time for our first win, which came thanks to Thomas at the Giro d'ItaliaWe already have 4 wins now so it's a much better start than last year and The team changed a lot of things over the winter. We had to do it. So we all have new coaches. We're preparing much harder than last year. We're also working out; I didn't last year.Now I like the gym after training. We're also very happy with the new bikes. look, we moved on to the wheels Campagnolo and to the tires Vittoria And I have to say, you can feel the difference right away. We all went, "Wow, it's crazy how much faster it is." And that makes all the difference.
Your victories have been very important for the team's ranking. What's the atmosphere like in the team? Is there any fear of losing the WorldTour?
During the winter we were told that it is A very important year for us. Decisive for the team. But when you race, you try not to think about it.I always try to do my best. And when you do your best, points are the natural consequence. The whole team is involved in this. It's not enough for one man to win, everyone must contribute if we want to achieve salvation.. Also the Astana They're very strong, they're winning too; in fact, they're flying up the rankings, and that's not good for us. They've had a great start. But as long as we keep winning and keep pedaling like we are now, I think we can move up a bit and catch the teams ahead of us.
Now the classics await you. Which one do you like best and why?
It's hard to say, I haven't had much luck in the Spring Classics so far. I instinctively like Roubaix, when you arrive on the cobblestones with people and everyone shouting at you and you go so fast, you forget how much you're suffering.It's really crazy to hear how many people are on the side of the road. So I really love that race and hope to win it one day.
This year you'll be racing your first Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia. Would you have preferred to be at the Tour de France? Do you think the sprints will be different from the French ones?
For now I'm on the team for the Giro d'Italia, but it's still early, I prefer to think about closer goals. As a first major stage race, however, I would be happy to tackle the Giro, where I would like to be a protagonist in the sprints, achieving good results, always for the same reasoning. Everyone says the Tour is on a different level, a little more difficult, and above all, very nervous. I hear it's a life-changing experience. Then this year we'll get to Lille, which is the headquarters of Cofidis, and we'll have to do a great race there. For me, however, it makes no difference; I'd be happy with either. If I can finish the Giro and have a good feeling and become stronger this year, then maybe next year we can do the Tour.
You are one of the many young Belgians who are emerging, what is your secret to being so many?
That's a good question. I don't know if there's a secret. We definitely have a lot of teams here and a lot of great races to go through, which builds you up from the time you are 15 years old.You really learn what cycling is all about. You have sprints, you have other races, you have crosswinds. Cycling is very popular in Belgium, almost on par with football. And with so many teams available, you can develop well. Then it's important to have a good coach who helps you continue to progress step by step. And in this too, we're very advanced.
What goals do you have for this year?
As a sprinter, you want to score as many points as possible. So, in every race I start, I want to win, and the team expects me to perform well to win. If I were to win the Giro, my season would be perfect…
