ProTeam Meet the Lotto Soudal youngsters: Andreas Kron

"Always keep the faith, even when things don't go as planned."
General 25 January 2021

As the new cycling season gets underway, Lotto Soudal is happy to welcome several new riders to the team. Time to meet 22-year-old Andreas Kron, who stepped up from Pro Continental level to join the Lotto Soudal WorldTeam. Kron – who started cycling at the age of nine – lives and trains in Denmark and talks you through his first impressions of Lotto Soudal and the goals for the upcoming season.

Andreas Kron: “I really like it at Lotto Soudal. It feels great to be training with some of the biggest names in the sport, but they are also really down-to-earth people and super friendly. It’s a really special feeling to be sitting at the table together with for example Philippe Gilbert or John Degenkolb for the first time. But in the end, we all share the same passion, which makes it a lot easier to integrate into the team.”

“Although there aren’t too many hills in Denmark, I see myself as a rider for races like the Ardennes Classics. Together with obtaining some nice results in Grand Tour stages, these are the races I will focus on this season. I am at my best when it’s a long day on the bike with a lot of altitude metres. However, I am not really suited to the longer climbs, I prefer the shorter hills. Surely, after one year of racing at the highest level, I will already know more and it will also give me some peace of mind that I know which races I am good at. But right now, my favourite race is Liège-Bastogne-Liège and it would be a dream come true to win it one day.”

“It’s always hard to say when you’re in your first year at a WorldTeam, but my stage victory at the Tour of Luxemburg showed that I can win a race. However, it is not all about winning. This year, the way I am racing is more important than the results. Of course, I will take the opportunity when it comes but it’s only my first year at the team and it would also be great to help the Lotto Soudal leaders win some nice races.”

Andreas Kron is one of the young guns at team Lotto Soudal, where he will meet some familiar faces like Brent Van Moer.

Andreas Kron: “It is nice to be amongst so many young guys and neo-pros joining the team. I especially know Brent Van Moer quite well, as we already raced against each other since the junior category. I remember that one of my first races in Belgium was Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, where I climbed the Oude Kwaremont together with him.”

“Apart from riding my bike, I love to be in the kitchen, cooking up some nice recipes. I also like to read a lot, most of them crime fiction books. I also learnt that in life, things sometimes don’t go to plan as I lost my mom to cancer when I was still a teenager. For me, the fact that I now took the step to the Lotto Soudal WorldTeam shows that by keeping the faith, also during difficult times, you can achieve a lot. Even when things don’t go as planned.”

 

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