Danny van Poppel talks unexpected lead-out rivalry with Wout Van Aert: "At first I thought: sh*t, why is he going to do the Giro? But it only made me want to train harder"

Danny van Poppel is arguably one of the world's best lead-out riders as he's been showing for quite some time now. This season seems to be no exception as the Dutchman already guided his BORA - hansgrohe teammate Sam Welsford to no less than three victories at Tour Down Under. But while this role clearly suits Van Poppel, it was not always as clear he'd find his place in the professional peloton.

"Because of my name, everyone expected me to make it as a sprinter," says the 30-year-old Dutchman to De Telegraaf. "However, things didn't go the way I wanted. I put a lot of pressure on myself because I wanted to show it. I was also somewhat pushed into the position of having to show it 'as the son of'."

Read also

George Bennett shares his experience racing with cycling stars: "The four best riders in the world aren't the four hardest working riders in the world"

"It's different in the pros and that made me nervous and stressed. I also found it difficult that I was in my brother Boy's team for a long time, because he wanted to help me. I felt guilty towards him that it didn't work out. At some point I was just done with it. It took years until I could really enjoy cycling and I realized that I am Danny van Poppel and not my father."

In the upcoming Giro he will have to compete against Wout van Aert, who is Olav Kooij's regular sprint pilot. "At first I thought: shit, why is he going to do the Giro? But ten seconds later it only made me want to train harder. Wout is one of the best and most complete riders ever. He wasn't even that good himself before. You can see that he has character, because when things don't go well, he always works hard for it. I had to learn that. I am super motivated and see it as a challenge to try to be the boss there."

Read also

Patrick Lefevere after negotiations with Lotte Kopecky: "I do not believe that Lotte has reached the end of her contract"

Profiles & Route UAE Tour 2024