Dylan van Baarle does not hold back on ambitions following Jumbo-Visma transfer: "First the focus will be on the classics and then I'll see what happens"

Dylan van Baarle as had an outstanding string of results in recent one-day races and in 2023 he will have a career-changing move as he connects with what was already perhaps the strongest team in the cobbled classics, Jumbo-Visma.

"That also takes some getting used to. You speak a bit easier in Dutch. For example, if I want to express my feelings or if we are talking about tactics or equipment," van Baarle shared in an interview with In de Leiderstrui, after joining the team where he turned pro. "So much has changed. I was only 18 or 19 years old then. Then you might also pay less attention to certain things. But of course it has also evolved. And me too, so it's still a bit of figuring out how we're going to work again. In general, I just became a better cyclist. If you're under 23, especially at that time, you're not very concerned with being a professional. That is different now."

Van Baarle finished second at the Leuven World Championships and Tour des Flandres, and last spring he's surged to victory at Paris-Roubaix, having perhaps the most successful spring out of everyone in the peloton. However that was not enough to keep him in the British team, as van Baarle had the interest of a rival team - where he's raced in the past.

Linking up with Roubaix runner-up Wout van Aert will make for an incredibly strong duo, however taking into consideration that the team also has the likes of Christophe Laporte and Tiesj Benoot who have thrived this year, it is hard to see how other teams will be able to get an upper hand on the Dutch squad.

"I have always grown in the shadows, and that is going to be different now. But I also think it is very nice as a Dutchman to ride for a Dutch team in prime time. I also realize that there may be more criticism from the Dutch camp," he continues.

However despite his success, van Baarle is still relatively under the spotlight when compared to other classics specialists. "I am now 30 years old. This will be my tenth year as a professional. Fortunately, Wout [Van Aert] is now handing out all the autographs. I've already won without Wout, so if it could be even easier," he jokes.

After the spring campaign he's set to ride with van Aert at the Tour de France, where he will have the role of protecting defending champion Jonas Vingegaard in the flat and hilly stages mostly. "I think you can go full for the classics up to and including Roubaix or the Amstel, and then full for the Tour. When I go there, I go to help. Then I'll see what comes my way. In any case, it is not a goal to win stages," he explains.

Asked about the Glasgow World Championships, which will feature a similar route to that of Leuven where he captured silver, van Baarle admitted that it could also be on the plans. "That's also something that plays in your head. So that is also a goal. But first the focus will be on the classics and then I'll see what happens," he concluded.