"I love the classics" - Gianluca Pollefliet talks about his goal to be successful in spring classics
Cycling
Gianluca Pollefliet recently signed a three-year contract with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, the WorldTour team led by Vincent Lavenu. The 21-year-old enters the big league relatively early, but the young Belgian doesn't seem to be nervous about his big debut at all in an interview for In de Leiderstrui.
"I love the classics and have a high intrinsic speed," he emphasizes what type of rider he wants to become. However, it may be a bit too early to ride Monuments in his first WorldTour year, he realizes. "It would be nice if I could start in a race like Le Samyn or the GP Denain and put my nose to the window. In the bigger races it seems only normal to me to just do my bit for the team. So ride in a domestique role, and perhaps see how far I can get."
However, Pollefliet does not rule out Monument participation completely. "It could be possible for me to be able to compete in races such as Paris-Roubaix, but all that still needs to be discussed. I will have a meeting with my manager soon. After that I will have more information about my program. In addition to the races I already mentioned, races such as Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and Ghent-Wevelgem are also races that I like."
Grand Tours don't seem to be Pollefliet's radar just yet. "I think I will get more opportunities with this team in spring classics. The fact that I ride here together with gentlemen like Oliver Naesen and Dries De Bondt also really appeals to me. They have a lot of experience. I'm going to be able to learn a lot from them. I also suspect that once I start performing at a high level, I will increasingly get my own chance. And that may be a bonus," he does not completely hide his own ambitions.
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.
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- 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
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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
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