"At INEOS Grenadiers I have more freedom" - Axel Laurance looking to break out of Mathieu van der Poel's shadow

During the INEOS Grenadiers winter overhaul, one of the most exciting signings made by the British-based team was the acquisition of Axel Laurance from Alpecin-Deceuninck. For the 23-year-old Frenchman, the move marks an opportunity to emerge from the shadow of his former team leader, Mathieu van der Poel.

"It's hard to leave a team where you feel good. If you're not in the right place, it's not hard to leave, but I felt very good at Alpecin-Deceuninck," Laurance assesses of his move honestly, in conversation with his new teammate Geraint Thomas for the Welshman's podcast. "I rode beautiful races, such as the Tour de France and four Monuments. And that's my first World Tour year."

"But there were a lot of riders fighting for the same opportunities," Laurance continues, hinting that his chances to be a team leader were limited going forward at Alpecin. "At INEOS Grenadiers I have more freedom. I thought: I'm still young and it's still easy to adapt. If I don't take the opportunity now, it might not come again. I had to try, because INEOS Grenadiers is one of the best teams in the world. If I want to take another step up, I think this team is good for me."

That's not to say Laurance has anything negative to say about Van der Poel though, in fact it's the complete opposite. "Mathieu is a very relaxed person. He never has any stress. That certainly helped me a lot last season," the French star explains, noting Milano-Sanremo as a perfect example of that help given to him by Van der Poel. "I didn't stress before a Milano-Sanremo either. I thought: if Van der Poel doesn't have stress, why should I? That was a big learning point for me, because that gives him a lot of power in the race."