ProTeam Lotto Soudal ready for Belgian time trial championships

Lotto Soudal will be at the start of the Belgian time trial championships with seven riders: Alana Castrique, Steff Cras, Frederik Frison, Sébastien Grignard, Jesse Vandenbulcke, Brent Van Moer and Florian Vermeersch. On Wednesday 16 June, the Belgian time trial champions will be crowned in Ingelmunster. The women’s race will cover two local laps, good for 25 kilometres. The men elite will ride three local laps, which will be a 37-kilometre test.

Alana Castrique already knows how it feels to be national champion as she won the U23 Belgian time trial championships in 2019. This year, Alana will be at the start of both the elite and – later in the season - the U23 race.

“I did a recon of the course yesterday and it really suits me”, says Alana Castrique. “It is quite technical with a lot of corners, but there are also plenty of straights. As I have just finished my exams, I haven’t had any races in a long time, so it is difficult to say in which place I’ll finish.”

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“Last Sunday, I again conquered the green ‘rushes’ jersey at the Flanders Diamond Tour in Nijlen. That was already a good sign. But I feel I still need some more race rhythm to be at the top of my game. For me, the Belgian championship in Ingelmunster is a really important test towards the U23 TT championship in Koksijde, the 17^th of July”, concludes the 22-year-old Castrique.

Last year, Frederik Frison could step onto the podium as he finished third in the national time trial championships. After a long rehab from a crash at the Scheldeprijs, Frison built up his shape at the Baloise Belgium Tour last week, where he delivered a strong time trial performance.

“Of course, it would be nice to match last year’s performance but it won’t be easy, that’s for sure! I was happy with how I was going at the Belgium Tour and I did a good time trial as well. To finish inside the top five would already be a nice result, but I just have to dare to aim higher. The length of the course really suits me. The longer, the better. And a flat time trial is also positive for me”, says Frederik Frison.

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The 22-year-old Florian Vermeersch finished fifth last year at the Belgian time trial championships in Koksijde. The Belgian rode a solid opening time trial at the Tour de Suisse last week and is looking forward to the race against the clock.

“The Tour de Suisse was a really hard race and has helped me to become that little stronger, not only towards the nationals but also for the second part of the season”, says Florian Vermeersch. “Finishing 8th in Frauenfeld was an excellent dress rehearsal, but that time trial was a lot shorter than the 37 kilometres this Wednesday. I haven’t done such long time trials, except for the TT nationals last year. So we’ll have to wait and see a bit but in the Swiss mountains I already got used to long efforts. The hot weather that’s predicted scares me a little, but that was also the case in Switzerland. It will definitely have an influence. The main favourite is of course Remco Evenepoel and with such a strong field of contenders, my ambitions remain quite modest. I target a top ten result, but top five would be a great result.”

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Brent Van Moer had a successful first part of the season with a maiden pro win at the Critérium du Dauphiné. The 23-year-old Lotto Soudal rider will be at the start of his first Belgian time trial championship as a pro.

Brent Van Moer: “I am really looking forward to again be at the start of the Belgian time trial championship. The last time I participated in a national TT championship was as an U23 rider, when I won. In 2019, I had to withdraw because of illness and last year, I underwent knee surgery after that crash at the Dauphiné. I don’t have any specific ambitions because I mainly focused on riding the Classics, Tirreno, Dauphiné,… so I did not spend much time on the TT bike. But in any case, I am really curious how far I can get between the big favourites. I already did a recon of the course and it is looking quite technical, not really my cup of tea, but nevertheless I am looking forward to it!”

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Also neo-pro Sébastien Grignard has his first taste of a national championship at the pros.

“For me, it is really difficult to aspire any specific results, even more if you look at the strong field of competitors. The most important thing for me is to see how far I can get between the big guys. The the time trial level in Belgium is really high. I adore time trialing but I could only ride two tests against the clock this season, at the Basque Country and Dauphiné. Both time trials were hilly, which doesn’t really suit me. The course at the Belgian championships is flatter and longer, so it will be interesting to see how I am performing on that type of course”, concludes Sébastien Grignard.

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Lotto Soudal Lady Jesse Vandenbulcke targets a top five spot.

“Last Friday, I planned a recon but there were some road works going on so I had to cancel those plans”, starts Jesse Vandenbulcke. “That is why I am doing a recon today and I will also ride it before the race on Wednesday. I’ve seen some images of the course, so it’ll help me to memorize it.”

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“As a junior, I was pretty good at time trialing but when I picked up cycling again after my pregnancy, the time trial discipline wasn’t something I specifically trained on”, says the 25-year-old Vandenbulcke. “That has changed this year. I am now training on the TT bike once a week. It doesn’t feel like a punishment at all, I really like it. That way you are getting used to the TT position. I am convinced that I can perform optimally on Wednesday and that I should be able to get a top five spot. The heat will be a decisive factor. Luckily, we have different ways to hydrate and keep it cool like ice vests and Sanas products. Also during the TT itself, it will be important to drink enough.”

Also 25-year-old Steff Cras is motivated to give it his all during a first time trial championship since the one in Anzegem, in 2018.

“It has been a while since I’ve rode a Belgian TT championship, but I have trained more on the time trial bike this year. And I am really motivated to do well. In 2017, I finished third at the U23 championship, also on a relatively flat course so it should definitely suit me. Whether it’s hilly or not, it will man-to-man fight. It is really difficult to have any specific ambitions cause I had a little dip after the Tour de Romandie and I lost quite some of my base due to the Covid infection. Most of all, I am happy that I can build the shape again and the Belgian TT championship is a really good test for what’s to come. I hope to be in good shape for the second part of the season”, concludes Steff Cras.

Images: Photo News.