"I'll have to prove myself. But I believe" - Steven Kruijswijk looking to bounce back in 2024
Cycling
For Steven Kruijswijk, the 2023 campaign didn't go exactly to plan as injuries prevented the Dutchman from competing at any of Jumbo-Visma's three Grand Tour wins. After a winter to refresh and recover however, Kruijswijk is keen to bounce back.
"It has been a great year for the team, even better than we expected," said the experienced climber in conversation with FloBikes. "That makes it very special to be part of. Obviously, it wasn't my best season, so that makes it a bit of a shame for me. You do all the preparation together, but then you miss the Tour or Vuelta due to such a major setback. And that was where my focus was this season."
Kruijswijk is seen as one of Jumbo-Visma's most experienced heads although even for someone who's seen as much as he has, 2023 was incredibly hard. "I wanted to make as many competition days as possible in the last few months, and then build up towards next year after a short break. Then I would like to be part of the team for the Tour de France again through some stage races with Jonas Vingegaard. That won't be easy, so I'll have to prove myself. But I believe in myself," he explains.
With talks of potential mergers and the departure of a key rider in Primoz Roglic, Jumbo-Visma's end of season hasn't been totally without incident as Kruijswijk can explain.
"I don't know much about it, but what I believe is that we will continue to grow. I don't know under what name, but our intention is to always take that next step. Even now, but we will see what the exact outcome is and who will be on our shirt. But I fully trust the team in that," he says before a parting word on his former Slovenian leader.
"He's an incredible guy, I've never seen him have a bad day. That's very special, that he always competes for victory. I wish him the best and I understand Primoz's choice. He wants to win the Tour and he must have full support for that. At least that's his best chance of winning."
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