The Netherlands will once again be at the start of the men’s elite World Championships in Zürich on Sunday, ready for battle. National coach Koos Moerenhout has built his selection around defending champion Mathieu van der Poel but is the first to admit that extending the world title for another year will not be an easy task.
The Dutch coach, who is also a father and team director at Hagens Berman Jayco, was recently taken aback by the news of the death of Swiss junior rider Muriel Furrer. Did this have any impact on the Dutch team? “It sounds strange, but there’s not much you can do about it,” Moerenhout explains to IDLProCycling.com.
“It’s sad news. First and foremost for the family, friends, teams, riders, the Swiss federation and so on, but you also see that the world is harsh and that the races continue,” he says. “As a rider, you’re expected to switch gears, and some handle that better than others. We can’t look into the riders’ minds, but these are tough things to deal with.”
Moerenhout only finalized his selection on Friday. Three riders from his team completed the official reconnaissance two days before the World Championships around lunchtime: Mathieu van der Poel, Bauke Mollema and Daan Hoole, who stayed in Switzerland after the time trial. The Lidl-Trek rider had to visit the hospital after he got something in his eye during his chrono, but he will be able to start on Sunday.
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Moerenhout: “The pressure is on the other teams”
What will be the tactical plan for Sunday? “It’s not rocket science,” says Moerenhout. “The course is tough enough that the best riders will naturally rise to the top. Mathieu is our leader in that, and we hope a few riders can support him in the finale. The reconnaissance didn’t reveal anything new: it’s a difficult course, and becoming the world champion won’t be easy — it’s that simple.”
“But it does offer opportunities,” says Moerenhout, whose orange team will aim to create chaos. “I hope we won’t need to control the race. If we do, then we’ve done something wrong. Ultimately, you have to see how things go, but there are two clear favorites: Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel. That’s just the way it is.”
“But that doesn’t mean another rider can’t become champion, and we have a very good one in Van der Poel,” continues the coach. “We also hope to get Wilco Kelderman and Bauke Mollema into the finale, but the pressure is on the other teams. In that sense, it’s different from the Olympic Games.”
Van der Poel mentioned that he’s two kilograms lighter. “That does make a difference. I compare it to four full bottles,” says Moerenhout, explaining this theory before the World Championships in Zürich. “If you put those in your back pocket and go uphill, you want to get rid of them as quickly as possible. That makes a significant difference,” concludes the coach, who has full confidence in his leader.