Alec Segaert on finding his place in professional bunch: "Discovering the Flemish classics is my main goal this season"

The world of big cycling already impatiently awaits the full-time arrival of Alec Segaert on the scene, but the 21-year-old Belgian doesn't want to rush things as there is still one more objective to tick off before his graduation from the U23 category - the time trial World Championships title. But looking in the nearest future, the next goal is naturally to perform at Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne in front of his home crowds, he tells WielerFlits.

"This spring we have consciously chosen to alternate between slightly smaller classic races, where I can do my own thing, and occasionally larger classics. I like to help my team, but I think it is very important to show something every now and then, which is also the reason why I wanted to do some extra U23 races last year. To continue to maintain my winning mentality and compete in finals. To make the right tactical choices. You still need that later in life, and you have to continue to maintain it."

"The U23 World Championship still has to be ticked off. But other than that, it is not my intention to specialize purely in time trial. The classics are also just plain fun. It is now a matter of focusing on the road races all year round, and only spending a lot of time on that time trial bike in the month before the World Championships."

"But discovering the Flemish classics is my main goal this season. I would like to show something there. Of course I already did that last year in, for example, the Belgian Road Championships, but I still have to wait and see what my feelings say with this even tougher field of participants," says Segaert.