"Everyone seemed to be getting a boost" from Peter Sagan, says teammate Dries van Gestel

Dries van Gestel has returned to the spotlight this week as he rode into second place at the Eurométropole Tour, another proof that the Belgian has stepped up his game this season and is carrying ambitions much higher than before.

"Correct. Over the years I have shown a few times that I was strong and had potential, but I was never consistent enough. After a good performance I was often a bit too fragile and I felt that the legs no longer turned," he revealed in an interview with Wielerflits. "Now everything runs much smoother. I feel much better, on and off the bike.”

With consistency now not a flaw anymore since joining TotalEnergies, the Belgian rider has been enjoying a successful season with podium results at Gent-Wevelgem and the recent Eurométropole Tour, aswell as a win at the Profronde van Drenthe. His improvement on the bike may also be the result of small changes however, as he explains.

"Last winter we had a bike fit done at Specialized, and a few things have come out that make me more comfortable cycling. I now also use a different type of saddle. That may seem trivial, but in practice it makes a big difference to me," he explains. He was asked about Peter Sagan's presence in the team and what it changed. Besides the Specialized bikes that the French team now use, he says the transfer was an improvement for the team overall.

“...When you get someone around you who has won just about everything there is to win, it does a lot with motivation. Everyone seemed to be getting a boost. Turgis was second in San Remo, I was third in Gent-Wevelgem. We won in Paris-Nice. And that good start kept the team going," he detailed. Van Gestel had several other strong performances throughout the season, as did the team - for example at the Critérium du Dauphiné where they won two stages and wore the yellow jersey.

As for van Gestel however, he will still be hunting wins in these last few months of the season, and he's carrying form to be able to succeed. "We start with the Schaale Sels and the Druivenkoers, and from September there will be even more races in our own country. I hope I can continue the good line of the past few months.”