24 February 2016
IAM Cycling
THE LOCAL BOY
At IAM Cycling, we are all ready to shine during our first Belgian classic of the year, declared Oliver Naesen (25), who knows the routes of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne – Brussels – Kuurne inside out. I live less than 40 minutes from Ghent where I went to school. I train every day on these roads. At Nieuwsblad, I finished 18th in my first participation in 2015. This time I would like to finish in the top-10. It is important to know how to conserve your resources, but also always to be present near the front between the 130th and 180th kilometer. After that, it is all a mental game because everyone is burnt. And then for Kuurne, we have a dream team. With Dries Devenyns, Heinrich Haussler, Sondre Holst Enger and myself, we will be able to avoid the pitfalls that litter the race early on, and hopefully be in a position to put guys like Kluge, Van Genechten, Pelucchi and Howard in the right place in the case of a bunch sprint.
THE ANALYSIS
Rik Verbrugghe, sports manager for IAM Cycling, has been anxious to see his riders on center stage in Belgium since the beginning of the month. I am proud of the start the guys have had. We even occupied the top spot in the Europa Tour for a little while. I am confident in our ability to continue our momentum in Belgium. On Saturday, we will know how to fight to play for the win. Then twenty-four hours later, we will also be well-armed to shine, regardless of the weather conditions, whether the race ends in a bunch sprint or with a small group to fight it out at the finish.
THE CAUTION
If there will be wind and rain on Sunday, then the victory will definitely be played out among a small group of riders at the end of Kuurne. So declares Oliver Naesen, who is a connoisseur of these classics raced in his backyard, and he knows of what he speaks when naming the weather as a main influencer of both the races.
LINE-UP Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
LINE-UP Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
Race Picture BettiniPhoto©2016
