Laurence Pithie was one of the positive revelations of last spring campaign with attacking style of racing which rewarded him with a 7th place at Paris-Roubaix. For this season, he joined the ambitious project of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe whose Classics squad has all the potential to become the successors of legendary Wolfpack. Pithie naturally aspires to become the pack leader.
Compared to previous years, Pithie started to race in Europe a bit later. But that was a part of his plan to be at the top in key races, he confides to In de Leiderstrui: "I missed the Opening Weekend, but in the end it was only two races, right? There is not much time in the winter, so you have to make choices and check all the boxes."
So far, the young classics core of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe couldn't make the ends meet. According to Pithie, everything should be fine soon: "We are a young group and we get along well. The atmosphere is good, so that should work naturally when we start racing."
Quality always rises to the top, Pithie thinks. "We have a super strong classic team, with a lot of cards to play. If you don't have a real leader like Van der Poel or someone who has won a lot, then you have to play it a bit more openly. If you have multiple options in the finals, then you have a good chance."
Communication will be the key
"We have to be honest with each other, about how we feel and communicate well with each other about who is good and who is less good. We also have a good staff, who helps us. That will be fine."
Pithie has been through some tough luck so far in the season, crashing just under Cipressa at Milano-Sanremo, two punctures at E3 Saxo Classics and then unfortunately missing key split at Gent Wevelgem... Nevertheless the Kiwi cyclist is confident in his legs.
"I am better than ever, for sure. I have really made a step, with many changes in the field of coaching, nutrition and performance. I can draw confidence from that. I have had a completely different preparation than usual, in which I always came to Europe early to race. Now I have been to New Zealand for a while after the Australian block and then I was at altitude in Tenerife for three weeks. I have trained a lot and I am ready."
Will he attack again from far out at Flanders and Roubaix, like last year? Pithie laughs: "I don't think I'll attack as much as last year, although you never know in these crazy classics. You have to be ready for everything when the opportunity presents itself."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 3visitors 3
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment