Le ReTOUR Du Soleil

7/31/2019 Le ReTOUR Du Soleil

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Colophon

Coordination

Totenmetontwerpen &

Vacansoleil-DCM Pro

Cycling Team

Editing

Evert de Rooij, Martijn

Boot & Frank Kwanten

Photography

Kristof Ramon & Cor Vos

Translations

Unitranslations

Lay-out

Tot en met ontwerpen

in cooperation with

Drukkerij Stunnenberg

Printing

Drukkerij Stunnenberg

Contact

www.vacansoleildcm.com

[email protected]

@vacansoleildcm

2012 le reToUr dU SoleilAter a remarkable debut in 2011 once again the

Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team is setting o,

with great enthusiasm, to the Tour de France. Hav-

ing contributed in 2011 to the attractiveness o the

Tour, this year the main objective is a stage win.

We strive or this objective with preservation o the

exible team in a setting in which everybody will

have the opportunity or sel-development. We

have every aith that we can add some colour to the

Tour whilst ully competing or prizes as we have

already demonstrated many times in 2012.

With the team and partners we have also already

looked ahead to the Tour by means o 23 remark-

able stories. You will fnd these stories in this

guide, providing an insight into the past, the pre-

sent, the uture and/or behind the scenes!

We would like to wish you a very sunny summer

and Tour!


2/23

5

luw Wst

Height: 185 cmWeight: 74 kgDate o birth:11-09-1982Pro rider since:2009Favourite race:3-Days de Panne-KoksijdeCycling specialty:Time trials, ridingin echelonsHome town:Molenend (Ned)Did you know:Lieuwe Westralives in Spainand Friesland.

raCing againST The CloCkThis year the Tour has a lot o time trial kilo-

metres. The start is at Lige where the 2012

Tour will set o with a prologue o 6.4 km. This

is ollowed on 9th o July by a lat time trial

o 41.5 km and on the penultimate day, those

who love racing against the clock can once

again revel in a 53.5 kilometres long trial be-

tween Bonneval and Chartres. Lieuwe Westra

is not bothered: the more solitary kilometres,

the better, says this rider rom Friesland. A

prologue is not really my thing. It takes me

longer to warm up properly. In such a short

time trial you have to be ocused rom the

beginning, whereas in a longer time trial you

have more time to ind your rhythm. You o-

ten see sprinters inishing in a top ranking in

a prologue, whereas in the longer time trials

the specialists and some classiication riders

rise to the top. Climbers are oten less good

time-trialists, however, and although I have

improved mysel as a climber this year, this

ortunately has not had a negative eect on my

time trial.

30 Junel (B)

, mp

Stage


3/23

7

2Stage

Wut ps

Height: 183 cmWeight: 65 kgDate o birth:01-10-1987Pro rider since:2009Favourite race:Tour de FranceCycling specialty:ClimbingHome town:Blitterswijck (Ned)Did you know:Wout Poels hasbeen riding orthe cycling teamso Daan Luijkxsince 2006.

in The BaCk garden oFWoUT poelSThe start o the 2nd Tour stage is taking place

a stones throw away rom Maastricht, the

training area or Vacansoleil-DCM riders rom

Limburg, such as Rob Ruijgh and Wout Poels.

However, the rider rom Blitterswijck, who

will leave as one o the leaders o Vacansoleil-

DCM rom Lige, eels he doesnt quite know

the road like the back o his hand. When I

train here nowadays, I oten do that together

with Reinier Honig. He knows every twist and

turn. The only thing Im doing is riding along.

We also oten go to the Arden nes and we then

do, amongst others, the Redoute, but that is

not included in this years Tour. I do know

the Citadel o Namur, but with the Tour com-

ing up, I havent explored that speciically.In the past I used to train here with my older

brother Norbert Poels and my current team

mate Wouter Mol. Mol lived in an old convent

with students and low rent. So or all the years

I go down south I have people to train with and

places to stay.

02 JulyVs > Tu

, m

a Tin oF CoCa Cola For FaBianLige has a beautiul Tour history. This city by the river

Maas received the Grande Boucle or the frst time in 1948

and has been the fnish 7 times since. One o those occasions

was in 1980, when Hilaire Van der Schueren (64), team leader at Vacansoleil-

DCM, made his debut as a sports director. He doesnt have too many memories

any more rom that specifc fnish in Lige. However, he does remember that

amous stage in 1995, when Indurain and Bruyneel dropped all other riders.

At Novell, we had a ast guy, Abdoesjaprov, but no matter how much we were

giving it we didnt seem to get any closer to those two. Incredible! In 2004 in

Lige there also was a Grand Dpart and the prologue was won by Fabian Can-

cellara. During the GP Gippingen, last month, he was riding next to my car or

a tin o coca cola. And then he said: do you remember that I did this in 2004 as

well? I then actually won the yellow jersey in Lige a couple o weeks later! Im

hoping to repeat that, Hilaire. Great story, dont you think?

1Stage

01 Julyl > S

198 m


4/23

9

3

The doUBle aTTaCkO course there is no need to introduce Jean-Paul van

Poppel (49), team leader at Vacansoleil-DCM since 2011,

but we will do it anyway. Popeye, a nickname he received

rom the ormer Tour boss Jacques Goddet, used to be one o the most suc-

cessul Dutch sprinters, and in all the three large tours he won a total o 22

stages in the mass sprint. He obtained 9 stage wins in the Tour de France,

one less than the illustrious trio o Raas, Knetemann and Zoetemelk. In 1987

he won the green jersey and a year later he even won 4 stages. That is, to this

day, the highest number that has ever been won by a Dutch rider in one Tour.

In 1994 van Poppel, at the end o the 2nd stage in Boulogne-sur-Mer, which

this year is where the 3rd stage ends, obtained his last victory in the Tour

with a double attack, or which he was so amous. But what was that double

attack? I was able to attack on ull speed, then wait or someone who came

next to me and then ully go or it again. Simple comme bonjour!

Stage03 Julyocs > BuSuM

m


5/23

11

Mc Mct

Height: 174 cmWeight: 68 kgDate o birth:11-02-1984Pro rider since:2005Favourite race:Belgian ClassicsCycling specialty:All-rounderHome town:Campodarsego (Ita)Did you know:Marco Marcato willmarry this all.

hoT For dUMe!He had his debut as a proessional in 2007

and last year he had his irst victory: Marco

Marcato (28) rom San Don di Piave, close to

Venice. The charmi ng Italia n has been ridin g

or Vacansoleil-DCM since 2009 and in the

beginning this was a culture shock. It was

as i I had ended up in a totally new world! I

had always cycled in Italian teams and didnt

speak a word o English. In the beginning I

used to carry around such a small dictionary

in order to learn, whenever I could ind some

time, some new words and technical terms. O

course the Dutch speaking riders immediately

taught me how to curse, such as hot or dume

and words such as kiken; I never learned how

to write these. But despite the language bar-

rier I always elt at home at Vacansoleil-DCM.

It is like a big amily and there is respect or

the riders. Ogni traserta viene atta con il

sorriso sulle labbra: each time when we go

out together we have such a laugh. Yes, those

Dutch people: in the beginning they keep their

distance, but when they like you they are the

best o riends.

Stage04 Julyabbv > ru

, m4

Stage


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13

505 Julyru > StQut

, m

BaTTering raMFor JpBetween 1987 and 1990

Michel Cornelisse and Jean-

Paul van Poppel were riding in the same team;

the frst year with the SuperConex team o Jan

Raas and then with the Panasonic team o Pe-

ter Post. Cornelisse was the battering ram in

the wheel o JP, who, thanks to that, was able

to sprint to quite a ew ower bouquets. We

never did the Tour together. Jan Raas elt I was

too young and our stay with Post unortunately

didnt become a success story, remembers

Cornelisse. In those tours that we did ride to-

gether van Poppel was the gentleman-sprinter

who raced straight to the fnishing line, where-

as I was blocking the pass to his rivals like a lu-

natic wavering in his wheel. There was a lot o

cursing going on when I was around, because I

wasnt araid o anybody. The most dangero us

guys or me were Bontempi and Arras. Why I

didnt win any mass sprints mysel? When I

was supposed to sprint or the win mysel, I

started thinking. I then became nervous and

started making mistakes. A good lead-out man

is not automatically a good sprinter.

Etappe


7/23

15

fostering growth

People are capable o delivering monumental perormances,

this is especially so in cycling. Did you ever cross the Alps

or Pyrenees by bike? Such eorts strain the human body to

the limit and are impossible without thorough preparation.

Growing to the top, both literally and fguratively!

WithDCM your garden will also reach its peak! www.dcm-info.com

ProCycling Team

6

dCM enSUreSgroWThFor DCM the Tour is a very

important platorm, says

Tom De Ceuster, CEO o

the company that produces

organic ertilizers. We are

already well-known in our

home market, the Benelux

countries, but France, where

we already have ive estab-

lishments, is an upcoming

market or DCM. For example, you can ind DCM in Paris, Toulouse and

Macon. Because the Tour has a very international appearance, we simul-

taneously hope to be able to take a share o the market in other coun-

tries. The act that, in addition, DCM also has a warm beating heart o r

the cycling sport is demonstrated through the annual sponsoring o the

Belgian under-23s DCM-GB -Vorselaar team. That team has alreadyproduced many talents such as Thomas De Gendt, Barry Markus and

Michel Kreder, says De Ce uster, ull o pride. O course DCM also runs

consumer campaigns during the Tour. For example, via the purchase o

vario us DCM produ cts yo u can accrue point s, with which y ou ca n even -

tually win a tailor-made Bianchi racing bicycle. And it would be great i

our sprinter Feillu could grab the victory in his home town o Brive-la-

Gaillarde (or another one o our riders o course), because the next day

us Belgians are celebrating a national holiday, concludes De Ceuster.

Stage06 Julyey > Mtz

, m


8/23

17

707 JulyTmb > l pcds Bs Fs m

one gear BaCkAter a we ek o s printi ng w ith st rong men and

danger or the more rivolous climbers, as o

stage 7 the peloton takes on a dierent ap-

pearance.

Accor ding to Vacansol eil-D CM train er Marc

Lamberts there are serious adjustments or

a riders body when a road starts to ascend:

During the climbing the heart beat will rise

considerably. This is partially caused by a

more intense usage o the muscles, such as the

arms, muscle use rom a dierent angle and

less cooling down or the body. In order to

use your muscles in dierent ways, according

to research, it is best to alternate sitting and

standing during a long climb. The comort o

just ollow ing in the bunch also count s less

because o the battle against gravity, and more

power on the pedals is needed. Finally, the

high intensity and limited cooling down also

increase the chance o dehydration.

Etappe


9/23

19

CONTROLLEDfor

SPORTERS

ProCycling Team

8

dirk Van SChalen& The inTernalhUMan BeingWhat do rider s eat durin g a

Tour? And do they eat di-

erently beore a short stage

than beore a long stage?

In principle there isnt that

much dierence, says Dirk

van Schale n, who is takin g

care o the internal human

being during the giant tours

with Vacansoleil-DCM. He has a proessional kitchen at his disposal in

a truck and long working days o 17 hours are no exception. It starts at

six thirty in the morning and ater a long stage I close the door o the

van behin d me at about eleve n oclock at night . Bu t what about those

meals, Dirk? In the event o a short stage the start is slightly later and

they can have breakast a bit later in the morning. They then eat rice orpasta, pancakes with jam, accompanied by a smoothie. In the event o a

heavier stage they simply eat a bit mor e, that is the only dierence. And

beore a time trial they only eat rice, because that is much easier to di-

gest. In the evenings they g et a piece o ish or chicken and ate r a heavy

stage beesteak. And guys who dont eat red meat during a tour which

is more diicult to digest get three eggs in the evening. Bon appetit!

Stage08 JulyBft > ptuy

, m


10/23

21

rm Fu

Height: 174 cmWeight: 62 kgDate o birth:16-04-1984Pro rider since:2007Favourite race:Paris- ToursCycling specialty:SprintingHome town:Ferrire (Fra)Did you know:Romain Feillu livesin a mobile home inFrejus or a big parto the year.

one daY in YelloWFor Romain Feillu (28) the 2008 Tour will al-

ways remain special. Ater he had his debut

a year earlier in the Grande Boucle, he man-

aged to take the yellow jersey in his 2nd Tour

in Nantes. That happened ater the 3rd stage,

in which a quartet o riders had taken to their

heels immediately ater the start in Saint-

Malo. Samuel Dumoulin rode to the stage win

and although Feillu only came 3rd, he was

smiling rom ear to ear in his yellow jersey

on the podium. I was only 24 years old and I

had the yellow, which is o course a dream or

a sprinter! I knew in advance that I could only

enjoy it or 24 hours, because in the time trial

in Cholet I never stood a chance. I draped that

yellow jersey over a chair that night so that

it was the irst thing I saw the next morning

when I opened my eyes, says the small man

rom Chteaudun, who came 2nd behind Tyler

Farrar in the 3rd stage o the 2011 Tour.

Stage09 JulyactSs > Bs

, m9

Stage


11/23

23

Stage

Jy h

Height: 179 cmWeight: 70 kgDate o birth:13-05-1983Pro rider since:2009Favourite race:Giro dItaliaCycling specialty:Hard one dayraces, to help outteammatesHome town:Yerseke (Ned)Did you know:Johnny Hoogerlandhas sheep in hisgarden.

The BlaCk hole BringS relieFJohnny Hoogerland lives in the Zeeland coun-

tryside with his girlriend, two sheep and a

dog. The rider really manages to relax here:

In 2011 I was away rom home or more than

275 days, with among other things the Giro,

the Tour and the weeks that I stayed at my per-

manent address in Spain. That is a lot o time

and is part o the lie o a proessional cyclist.

However, o course I preer to be at home with

my girlriend and the animals. I very much en-

joy the home situat ion, the surro undin gs and

my home, which we moved into last year. That

is the place where I can completely relax. Cy-

cling is my passion and I want to continue or

many years as a rider but I wont be bothered

by that black hole when I stop. Less travelling

and being home more is something that I willcertainly enjoy. That wont be a black hole but

a relie.

10 Julyrst y

~Stage


12/23

25

1011 JulyMc > BSuVs, m

heaVieST CliMB in TheToUr de WoUTToday is the ascension o the Grand Colom-

bier which, with a height o 1,531 metres, is

the hardest climb o the day. It is the highest

mountain in the department o Ain and as such

annually one o the highlights o the Tour de

lAin. Wout Poels knows it as no other, because

2 years ago he won the Tour de lAin stage over

the Colombier and in 2011 he was the 5th to

reach the top. In 2010 the Tour de LAin was

part o the Tour de Wout with the climb as the

most diicult obstacle. The Tour de Wout was

ridden in August o 2010 when Poels had more

than 20 race days in 1 month. This is a very

special stage or me. In May I explored the

10th stage with the team and rode it again. It

is a beautiul climb. From Culoz you maintain

a view o the valley or a long time, be cause the

irst 6 kilometres are without shelter. So when

it is warm weather, you do eel it. It starts with

6 hairpin bends and then it slightly lattens

beore then rising to a maximum 14%. It is a

true cal-biter with a beautiul view rom the

top, but I dont suppose I will be able to enjoy

that very much.

Etappe


13/23

27

11

FVuc

Height: 183 cmWeight: 75 kgDate o birth:04-09-1978Pro rider since:2004Favourite race:Hard circuit races,stage racesCycling specialty:Riding on acontinuously speedHome town:Werchter (Bel)Did you know:Frederik Veuchelendid his rst GiantTour at the ageo 32.

no ChaT SeSSionIn a giant tour you will ind riders who are in

the saddle or days on end, or many hours.

During a stage there oten seems to be time or

a chat. Frederik Veuchelen sees this around

him: I mysel dont chat a lot during the tour.

I am ocused on me, my task and the race. I

make sure that I eat and drink suiciently,

I keep an eye on how our team is doing and I

am working on what is yet to come. Around me

there usually are guys who are airly vocal. Rob

Ruijgh, or example, makes a lot o noise and

I oten need to laugh about Wout Poels with

his dry and outspoken sense o humour. The

craziest things come out o his mouth. Now in

my ourth year in the team I know that Dutch

people are more direct and I can appreciate

that more and more and can also assess howserious something is. But those guys know

that when the tour really becomes dangerous

or heavy or when we are entering the deciding

part, they stop talking and there is an enor-

mous ocus.

Stage12 Julyabtv > l Tussu ls Sybs m


14/23

29

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12

FranCe = CYCling-holidaY CoUnTrYFrance has something to o-

er or everyone both in the

feld o holidays and in the

feld o cycling, says Karin

Beks o Vacansoleil. The

landscapes are so diverse that

both the recreational and the

sporting cyclist will get eve-

rything they could wish or.

When you are looking or the

recreational aspect, then you can opt to camp along the river Loire; or

the racing cyclists there are the Alps and the Pyrenees and those who

like mountain biking can, or example, go to the Ardche. Vacansoleil is

o course catering or that as much as possible. Our camp sites in France

are a great base or cycling-holidaymakers. You can go there with your

own tent or caravan, but Vacansoleil also provides completely urnishedmobile homes and bungalow tents or those cycling holidaymakers who

would preer this service. Then you only have to bring along your bicycle

and your cycling gear! There are also camp sites where you can hire bicy-

cles, or children as well as adults, and where they can provide you with

route maps. On our website and under the heading o Theme holidays,

you can fnd all the inormation you want regarding our cycling destina-

tions, plus a map with all the camp sites which are in the close vicinity o

the route o the Tour. Handy isnt it?

Stage13 JulySt.J.dMu > aydvzu m


15/23

31

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Professionals like riding on them during training and in races, and tour riders

find them to their advantage as well.

Vredestein race and cyclo-cross tyres are always in the lead when it comes to

grip in all weather conditions, low rolling resistance, puncture protection

and durability.

13

WaTer & iCe CUBeSEva Luijkx yes, the wie o

manager Daan Luijkx - is one

o the physiotherapists or

the team. Since 2005 she has

been working with the team,

which back then debuted in

the peloton under the name

o Fondas Imabo-Doorisol.

Having worked during the

Vuelta in 2009 and the Tour

in 2011 Eva Luijkx will be do-

ing her third giant tour in 2012. For someone in her proession there is

a lot o work to be done during a Tour, especially ater about 2 weeks o

cycling through France. Last year it was very busy right rom the start,

because there were a lot o alls in the irst week. Ater 2 weeks there

are usually a lot o neck and back complaints. We always get the riders

to recuperate in the team bus with the Game Ready appliance. That iswrapped around their legs and illed with water and ice cubes. We have

three o those and it accelerates the recovery. During a Tour you can see

a noticeable dierence between guys who have already had experience

with giant tours and those who dont. And it also makes a lot o dier-

ence how a rider started the Tour.

Stage14 JulySt.puTsCtu >l C a m


16/23

33

Stage

14

rb ruj

Height: 175 cmWeight: 64 kgDate o birth:12-11-1986Pro rider since:2009Favourite race:Amstel Gold Race,Tour de FranceCycling specialty:Climbing, generalclassicationsHome town:Valkenburg aande Geul (Ned)Did you know:Rob Ruijgh knowshow to greet peoplein fuent Italian.

FUll Speed To Foix!Last year Rob Ruijgh inished 21st as best

classiied Dutchman in his irst Tour. It is

thereore understandable that this man rom

Limburg will set o or la douce France with

the necessary ambition. In order to be well

prepared, with some o his teammates, he has

explored various mountain rides in the Tour

in advance. He has marked out the 14th stage

rom Limoux to Foix, the irst stage in the Pyr-

enees. It is a hazardous stage with narrow

roads, both uphill and in the descents. The

start up to the Port de Lers is rather narrow

and you need to be in the ront o the peloton

early on in the climb otherwise it is very di-

icult to overtake. That mountain is very steep

at the beginning. It then goes up gradually and

halway it slightly lattens. The descent is di-

icult too and almost directly ater that starts

the climb up the Mur de Peguere, also very

steep and with sections o 18%! From the top it

is still 40 kilometres to the inish, so you have

to set out with a small group.

15 Julylmu > F

m


17/23

35

1516 JulySmt > pu

, m

FaUSTo Coppi rUleSIn the Tour o 1952 Fausto Coppi (32) was at

his peak. On his biancoceleste Bianchi racing

bike he rode his competitors into the ground.

In that Tour it was the irst time they com-

peted or the combative rider prize (good

or 100,000 rancs), but the campionissimo

imposed his iron will on the peloton. That

was the irst year with an uphill inish. That

happened in the 10th, 11th and 21st stage and

you can already guess who arrived at the top

irst: Coppi! The leading man o the Squadra

Azzu rra st uck ou t above the re st to su ch an e x-

tent ater 12 stages he had a lead o 24 min-

utes on number 2, Alex Close that the Tour

bosses doubled the prize money or the num-

bers 2 and 3 to promote competition. The

18th stage led to Pau and Coppi ended up irst

on all mountains. In the descent he allowed

others to overtake him again but then gained

his 4th stage win in the sprint. In Paris Coppi

almost had hal an hour lead on the Belgian

Stan Ockers.

Etappe


18/23

37

~

ZeelandS roeMLast year the headlines o all the papers and websites read: Vacansoleil-

DCM brings back the Zeeland mussels in the Tour. And indeed, on the sec-

ond resting day in Orange there they were again, the Moules Frites, with

catering provided by Zeelands Roem. Piet Gommers, o Roem van Yerseke,

remembers very well that his company also took care o the mussel par-

ties o the TVM in the nineties. During the Vacansoleil-DCM mussel party

Gommers produced a photo showing a very young Johnny Hoogerland,

dressed in a ye llow cycling shirt printed with the name Roem van Yerseke.

In those days we were a sponsor or the riders o ZRTC Theo Middelkamp

and because Johnny was a member o that club, he was riding with such a

shirt. That is why it is extra nice that he is now participating in the Tour

de France with Vacansoleil-DCM. Riders, journalists and Tour-managers

shared a table in sun-flled Orange. Mussels are fne as nutrition. They

contain little at and are thereore great or riders. And or journalists,

says a smiling Piet Gommers.

Stage17 Julypu

gustv elss

Height: 194 cmWeight: 77 kgDate o birth: 20-09-1980Pro rider since:2003Favourite race:World Champion-

ships individualtime trailCycling specialty:Time trailsHome town:Monaco (Mon)Did you know:Gustav Larssonwas second at theOlympic time trialin Beijing 2008.

Wut M

Height: 195 cmWeight: 83 kgDate o birth:17-04-1982Pro rider since:2009Favourite race:Paris-Roubaix

Cycling specialty:All-rounder inwindy eventsHome town:Heerhugowaard(Ned)Did you know:For 4 years WouterMol lived in an oldconvent with ourother guys.

ky vhumm

Height: 176 cmWeight: 68 kgDate o birth:30-09-1982Pro rider since:2003Favourite race:Scheldeprijs

Cycling specialty:SprintingHome town:Huissen (Ned)Did you know:Kenny was a teammate o JohnnyHoogerland twelveyears ago.


19/23

39

17Stage

Mtj kz

Height: 193 cmWeight: 72 kgDate o birth:25-03-1988Pro rider since:2011Favourite race:Liege-Bastogne-LiegeCycling specialty:Time trialsHome town:Muntendam (Ned)Did you know:Martijn Keizer was2 time nationalchampion timetrial in the mensUnder-23 category.

MarTiJn keiZer: eSCapeSMartijn Keizer (24) rom Muntendam ound

his orm as a tour rider in May at the Giro.

He won the intermediate sprint classiica-

tion and came 2nd in the classiication o the

most escape-kilometres behind Olivier Kai-

sen. Beore the tour Keizer had intended to

opt or the attack in 3 stages, but that in the

end turned out to be 6 stages. Is there a secret

or a great escape? I you really want to be

there in a stage, then you will succeed 8 out o

10 times. It speaks or itsel that the orm and

your condition have to be ine, but with a bit

o luck you can enorce something like that, in

my experience. O course you have to maintain

your ocus and concentration or 3 weeks in a

row and in the last week that is not always that

easy. But i you are doing it with a certain ob-jective , like in the Giro with t hose t wo cla ssii-

cations, then you will be able to keep it up. In

Milan I was awarded or it with a place on the

winners podium. I am now secretly hoping or

a selection in the Vuelta, because I would love

to repeat that trick there.

19 JulyBsluc >pyus, m

16

rf Vs F

Height: 179 cmWeight: 64 kgDate o birth:25-06-1987Pro rider since:2009Favourite race:Tour de FranceCycling speciality:ClimbingHome town:Cocentaina (Esp)Did you know:Valls was the lastrider to join theteam in 2012.

CloSe MY eYeS and ThinkaBoUT The ToUrEarly March Raael Valls had a hard crash

while in the ront group at Murcia. Valls broke

some ribs and missed two months o the sea-

son. During his recovery he ocused on the

Tour: Since I did the Tour in the summer o

2010 my sportive lie changed. In 2010 I be-

came second in the 7th stage towards Station

des Rousses. Getting so close to a stage win

made me realize that the Tour is everything or

a rider. In the past months I had a lot o pain

and diiculty breathing while recovering. But

every time I started thinking about the Tour

and it gave me the motivation and strength or

a quick recovery. I would just close my eyes,

think about the mountains, the Spanish ans in

our Pyrenees and the pain was gone. O courseit is not easy to compete with the be st riders in

the Tour and it can be very nervous with cross-

wind and crashes but I will try to improve the

2010 result. Venga venga!

Stage18 Julypu > Bsluc

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41

18

Tms gt

Height: 179 cmWeight: 67 kgDate o birth:06-11-1986Pro rider since:2009Favourite race:Liege-Bastogne-LiegeCycling speciality:BreakawaysHome town:Semmerzake (Bel)Did you know:Thomas De Gendtpreers to race withnumber 103.

Final Weekend oFFerSopporTUniTieSThis year, Thomas De Gendt ended third in

the Tour o Italy and had his breakthrough as

a tour rider with an excellent inal weekend.

The 25-year old rider won the queen stage to

the Stelvio. In 2011 he also caught the eye in

the last days o the Tour with a sixth place on

Alpe dHu ez and a our th place in the time

trial. His secret? It seems as i my body does

not get any worse during a giant tour. In addi -

tion to that there is a mental aspect, because

3 weeks o racing is not something you do just

or pleasure and many are desperate or in-

ishing the race. They want to inish with as

little as possible waste o energy. Not me, i I

havent won a stage yet or havent been able to

show something then that is in act motivat-

ing or me to give it my all. With some guts

and the right moral attitude there are a lot

o opportunities; you can see it as a ootball

match where more space is opening up in the

last 5 minutes.

Stage20 JulyBc > Bvlg

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43

1921 JulyBv > Cts

, m

Working againST The CloCkUs mechanics try to do most o the work on the

evening prior to a time trial, says Geert Van de

Meulebroecke. We check all the wheels, tubes

and the bicycles, because the earlier you can get

to the start the next day, the better. There we

look or a good spot or the truck and then we

get the bicycles ready to go. We place the bicycle

rollers below a cover so that the riders can get a

warm-up ride. Whilst they explore the track, we

prepare the reserve bicycles: an extra time-trial

bike and a normal tour bike. When they come

back we discuss what needs to be changed. This

is usually about the gears but also about the

wheels. One wants a closed wheel, another one

with three spokes. We do what they ask and in

the meantime the bicycles still need to go to be

checked by the race jury. During the time trial I

am in the back o the car. Aterwards everything

is loaded into the truck and we then go to the car

park at the hotel to dismantle and clean every-

thing again. The road bicycles, or the ollowing

day, have to be ready or the next day, so that

doubles the amount o work. With a bit o luck

we manage to sit down or dinner around ten in

the evening.

Etappe


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45

20

ks BcmsHeight: 180 cmWeight: 75 kgDate o birth:13-02-1987Pro rider since:2010Favourite race:Tour o FlandersCycling speciality:SprintingHome town:Schilde (Bel)Did you know:Kris Boeckmanswas the Europeanchampion in themens Under-23category in 2009.

a daY WiThoUT The ToUriS a loST daYKris Boeckmans (25) practiced gym and bas-

ketball when he was a youngster, but because

his parents were active in various cycling clubs

he couldnt avoid it in the end: Kris started cy-

cling as well. When he was 9 years old he partic-

ipated in a cycling tour o no less than 150 kilo-

metres! Two years later he was ascinated as

he watched the notorious Tour o 1998, which

was won by Pantani. Since that Tour I have

been a an o Tom Steels. He won three stages,

amongst which is the most beautiul one: the

one with the cobble stones on the Champs-

Elyses in Paris! I will never orget that. Ater

that I was in ront o the television every day o

July, every year. Whether I was on a holiday or

not, I had to see it! The worst or me were therest days. Those were days lost, with no Tour on

television Back then Armstrong was the guy

to beat or the yellow, but in the sprints there

were other important names, rom Cipollini

and Steels, Petacchi-Boonen-McEwen to Cav-

endish. And the great thing is: now I might be

part o it mysel with the cobble-stones in Paris

to look orward to in July!

Stage22 July

rbut> ps Cmsyss

m

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