Thymen Arensman experienced the summer of his dreams. The Dutch rider won two stages in the Tour de France and then witnessed genuine 'Arensmania' in the Netherlands. Now it's time for the World Time Trial Championships and the World Road Race, where the INEOS riders hope to make a strong impression one last time this season. "It would be great if I could deliver another strong performance," says Arensman.
Let's go back to the summer once more. In the Tour de France, Arensman secured two historic victories for the Netherlands, on top of Luchon-Superbagnères and La Plagne. At that time, Arensman hadn’t yet fully experienced the 'Arensmania' in the Netherlands. That changed when he started in the post-Tour criteriums in the weeks that followed, he explains at the KNWU.
"In the Tour de France you live in a bubble. When you win the first stage, you're immediately focused on the next opportunities. You’re somewhat detached from the outside world. But when you come to the professional criteriums in the Netherlands after the Tour de France, you really notice the impact those stage wins have had."
"People turned out to be truly emotionally moved by what I achieved," he continues. "That was really nice. Children wanting to take photos with you, giving out autographs. I had never experienced that like this before."
photo: Cor Vos[/caption]
Switching gears
However, he quickly switched gears again. "To be honest, I also liked getting back to what I get paid for: cycling. Getting back into the usual rhythm and focusing on this year’s next goals. Those are the Tour of Britain, the World Championships in Rwanda, and the Italian autumn races."
What Arensman expects from the World Championships, he doesn’t yet know. "I’m going there with an open mindset. It’s mainly a great investment for the future to prepare for a very specific one-day race and a time trial, which I want to focus more on in the coming years."
Longest day on a bike
"I think the World Championships in Rwanda will be my longest day on a bike ever, with 267 kilometers. I perform well in stage races because I seem to get less tired as a race progresses compared to many competitors. But now everyone will start fresh."
"We’ll be there for almost two weeks with the federation, and I hope it will be a pleasant experience to prepare for such an event with your country. I expect the adjustment to be manageable, there is no time difference, and the altitude is comparable to where I live in Andorra. I’m not attaching any results to my expectations beforehand; I’ll try to make a great season even better. It would be great if I can deliver a strong performance in both the time trial and the road race. And deliver results I can build on," he concludes.
