"I don’t think the new generation will last very long" - Alberto Bettiol is worried about the "overly scientific" approach of young riders

Alberto Bettiol is an emotive person, someone who likes to do things by heart, rather than dive in the world of numbers and calculations. Based on his recent results and performances he is convinced that he can take on Mathieu van der Poel and anyone else at Sunday's Tour of Flanders, which would be his second triumph in the Belgian Monument.

"I’ve shown that when I’m on form, I have a chance of winning, even in the biggest races, against the biggest riders," Bettiol tells Cyclingnews. "It’s a pretty exclusive sport these days, so it’s pretty impressive just being able to at least take them on."

"I’m the last of the romantic racers," he suggests. "I live for the emotions of life. The young riders are more robotic and scientific in the way they do things. I live for racing, not for training. I love sprinting for signs and going hard on climbs rather than following my training schedule to the letter."

"The young guys seem to have everything so dialled in; they seem so much smarter than my generation. But I’m also worried about them. They’ve perhaps lost the emotive side of racing," he thinks.

"They’re focused on their watts per kilo, their aerodynamics and live on their mobile phones. They’re young but mature too, but without having learned how to do things by experiencing them. It’s all been explained to them, or they studied it all online. But they haven’t lived it. I don’t think the new generation will last very long, one by one they’ll realise that life is passing them by."

"I think what I’ve experienced and learnt over the last ten years is an advantage. I‘ve got to use that wisely while adapting to modern-day cycling. If I can do that, it can make a difference, and it can be a winning edge."