An early pioneer to different gravel racing after a profession on WorldTour roads, Laurens ten Dam is getting ready for a second look on the UCI Gravel World Championships for the Netherlands. This time, nonetheless, he’ll set a brand new milestone as each rider and coach, having been appointed within the spring because the nationwide coach for the Dutch gravel programme.
Referred to as the ‘godfather’ of a rising contingency of his gravel racing friends, the 43-year-old continues to compete on a excessive degree. In 4 appearances at Unbound Gravel 200, he is completed fourth or higher 3 times and set a brand new report within the early spring for the continuous division of Transcordilleras in Colombia.
Ten Dam will get requested lots of questions now as a coach, and the highest one is, “Will Mathieu van der Poel race on the Gravel World Championships this 12 months?” Because the reigning highway World Champion, Van der Poel is ready to defend his title in Zürich this Sunday at Street World Championships, and has not confirmed his participation for gravel but, however Ten Dam is prepared.
“I’ve 10 wildcards left and I saved one for him,” Ten Dam advised Cyclingnews. “In the course of the European Championships he stated the possibility he is using the [Gravel] Worlds is greater than he is not. It is going to be a last-minute resolution for him. I do not assume the UCI will say ‘no’ if he needs to compete.”
Van der Poel could be a favorite so as to add a gravel rainbow jersey to his rising assortment, having gained six in cyclocross and vying for a second highway world title in just some days. He has dominated among the largest one-day Classics with Alpecin-Deceuninck this 12 months, going back-to-back this spring with wins at Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix plus podiums at Gent-Wevelgem and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
However Ten Dam was fast so as to add that amongst his roster of near 37 certified elite riders and one other 20 wildcard alternatives, the ladies’s squad was the one to beat in Leuven on the Gravel World Championships.
“Puck Pieterse, she gained the Mountain Bike Worlds, and if she wins this, she will go for the off-road triple,” he stated concerning the 22-year-old, who gained this 12 months’s girls’s elite title in cross-country mountain bike and took the U23 crown in cyclocross worlds in 2022. She can also be a stage winner on the Tour de France Femmes into Liège, showcasing her multi-disciplinary skills for Fenix-Deceuninck.
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“After which Marianne Vos [2022 Dutch gravel champion], second on the Olympic Video games [road race], she’s a narrative. And Lorena Wiebes [2023 UEC Gravel champion]. So mainly, they’re half of the Olympic group. That is fairly fucking superb.”
Ten Dam stated it was a tall activity to make preparations for a nationwide group that was near 60 elite members, the ultimate roster to be confirmed within the coming days. He’s planning for a group home the place a mechanic, soigneur and provides may be accessed for the nationwide group, and has confirmed the federation will even present a group physician. He was getting more adept in Excel to maintain observe of group attire and rider info.
“It’s very completely different than like a highway group or the opposite disciplines throughout the UCI, as a result of mainly, lots of the athletes, they will qualify themselves – the primary 25% of UCI qualifiers, or nationwide champions, or like myself on the European Championships. I do have the 20 wild playing cards from the federation.
“I exploit the wildcards just for the WorldTour execs, the ProTeam execs, each women and men, who’ve a giant programme with the highway groups. And the nice cyclocross riders. I solely have to pick the wildcards, however as a result of I made these necessities, it’s important to be a professional,” he stated.
“With the ladies, I acquired lots of requests for wildcards. With the boys, it is a bit tougher as a result of they’ve races nonetheless in France and Spain, and China.”
He famous that along with Pieterse, Vos and Wiebes, he anticipated the all-star forged to incorporate Fem van Empel, Lucinda Model, Thalita de Jong, Riejanne Markus, Yara Kasteleijn and others.
On the boys’s facet, Jasper Ockeloen could be “the man”, as he was the highest Dutch elite man final 12 months in thirteenth place. Ten Dam named newcomer Adne Koster and cyclocross specialist Joris Niewwenhuis as two extra contenders.
This 12 months Ten Dam, who additionally operates Stay Gradual Journey Quick, didn’t have a ‘common’ schedule of occasions just like the previous three years, and after Unbound Gravel he targeted on finishing Tour Divide’s 4200km trek within the western US however arising brief by 2 days for a report there.
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