"But Mathieu was the leader..." - Belgian classics specialist switched van der Poel's Alpecin for Visma in search of more freedom

Alpecin-Deceuninck is a team fully focused on the classics and sprints, and whilst it has a very high level, it is highly focused on Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen. Whilst the team had many quality classics riders, some even combining it with cyclocross, some have departed in search of more opportunities and evolution. That is the case with Timo Kielich, now part of Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

“I was happy there but after three years my contract was up and it was logical to see what other opportunities were out there," Kielich said in words to Sporza. “For my development, it was the best choice. With their approach, I can still become a better rider.”

The 26-year old has now been a World Tour pro for two seasons, and has signed a three-year deal with Visma. He has in his palmarès a few meaningful wins and has stood out as a premier bike handler, who also has the legs to perform at the highest level - 18th at this year's Tour of Flanders, despite being in a domestique role for Mathieu van der Poel.

Kielich has had freedom to race for his own results, taking advantage of it for example to win last year's Antwerp Port Epic, however when Mathieu van der Poel was at the start, his role was always fixed. “We raced in a similar way to Visma | Lease a Bike but Mathieu was the leader. Because of that, there was maybe just a little less space for the other riders.”

Hence the tactics were also less focused on the collective result, in Kielich's case, often being given pace-setting roles, and not having the freedom to attack that he would like to have. "That ‘winning together’ was maybe a bit less the case at my former squad. Not because it was wrong, but because you always knew who the leader was. When you have Mathieu in your team, the hierarchy is clear,” the Belgian pointed out.

His role won't be overly different in Visma, however he noted that there is much more of an emphasis on the collective victory, and not the focus on one athlete. This is also partly because no-one in Visma can guarantee the same degree of results such as van der Poel in the spring classics.

But if Kielich has the legs, he can be given open roles in some of the biggest races. “My job is to bring the leaders into a good position at the crucial moments. That way, we try to avoid them being forced onto the defensive. In the first place, we race to win together. It does not necessarily matter with whom".

His season will start at Omloop het Nieuwsblad, and he will then largely follow the same schedule as Wout van Aert: With Tirreno-Adriatico, Milano-Sanremo and the cobbled classics as priorities. The two will also be present at Strade Bianche. “I have never ridden that race before. On paper, it might be a bit too hard for my type of rider because of the climbing, but the gravel really appeals to me.”

After the spring, Kielich will be called up to make his Giro d'Italia return, with the role of aiding Jonas Vingegaard on the flat and hilly stages. “I have never been in a situation where, as a team, we could win a Grand Tour. That is going to be something special," he concluded.

At Visma's media day, CyclingUpToDate has been able to confirm that the lineup will also consist of Jonas Vingegaard, Sepp Kuss, Davide Piganzoli, Edoardo Affini, Bart Lemmen, Wilco Kelderman, Victor Campenaerts.