Timo Kielich reveals few secrets of Mathieu van der Poel to Wout van Aert
Wout van Aert and Matthew Brennan will be the main spearheads for Visma | Lease a Bike in the classics next spring, with Christophe Laporte just behind them. With the departure of Dylan van Baarle, Tiesj Benoot, Olav Kooij, and the fact that Matteo Jorgenson will not ride the Flemish classics next spring, there is immediately an important role reserved for newcomer Timo Kielich. He shared this in front of the camera of WielerFlits.
The 27-year-old Belgian joined this winter from Alpecin-Deceuninck, where he developed strongly over recent seasons. Kielich — originally a cyclocross rider — never expected to reach the level at which he is now competing. “I hope to take another step next year in the classics and the Grand Tours, so that I get a bit stronger every year. I am 27 now, so the best years should still be ahead,” he says. “I don’t think Visma | Lease a Bike has necessarily weakened but has undergone a renewal. Guys like me probably need to bring a fresh boost.”
For Kielich, there is certainly a clear role. “It will be similar to what I did at Alpecin-Deceuninck, so mainly positioning and then bringing the team into a position in the final stretch so that we never have to race from behind, only from the front. That’s a good position for both myself and the team leaders to be in,” Kielich explains. The Belgian mainly rides the big weekend classics. “To avoid overkill. That way I stay fresh for the big classics, without racing the Ename Samyn Classic, GP de Denain or Dwars Door Vlaanderen.”
Next spring, that will be alongside Wout van Aert, where he rode until last season in service of his archrival Mathieu van der Poel. “The will to win is very strong, I see that in both of them,” he states. “They both work incredibly hard, and their goal is to win every race they start. That also puts them among the best riders of their generation. I don’t think there are many secrets of Mathieu for Wout. But looking back on my own career, it will be unique to have ridden with maybe the two greatest classics riders in the same team. That’s something special to brag about.”
