"I would have liked to see what I could have done in the Tour of Flanders" - Quinten Hermans left rueing decision to opt for Itzulia Basque Country
Cycling
Whilst Mathieu van der Poel was coming second at the Tour of Flanders in Belgium, teammate Quinten Hermans was in the Basque region, preparing for the Itzulia Basque Country, a decision he admits leaves him with a tinge of regret.
"The choice to ride the Tour of the Basque Country was made a long time ago. And I know that I need this stage race to get a few percent better towards the climbing classics," the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider tells Sporza. "I also felt ready to go to the Ronde. I would have liked to see what I could have done in the Tour of Flanders with this condition."
Runner-up at Liege-Bastogne-Liege last year, Hermans has the race in his sights yet again and hopes to go one better this time around. "Liège-Bastogne-Liège is a very nice race that suits me," he explains. "But I especially marked La Flèche Wallonne with a dot. It is a fantastically beautiful course because we arrive on top of the Mur de Huy. I have a kind of love affair with it."
"The Brabantse Pijl and the Amstel Gold Race should also suit me very well," he continues. "The 3rd stage of Itzulia Basque Country is a very nice ride. It is a bit like La Flèche Wallonne with a final kilometre that goes up steeply. An ideal gauge for the climbing classics."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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