Ivar Slik plans to do some beach races in autumn: "The period without a race is therefore not that long"

Ivar Slik probably expected a little more from his Gravel World Championships, which was organized in Veneto last weekend. In de Leiderstrui interviewed the Dutchman prior to the race, which he ultimately finihsed in Pieve di Soligo in 56th.

"I'm doing well, although it's not yet such a great season as last year. Fortunately, I managed to achieve a few podium places here and there," the 30-year-old rider opens his review of the past year. "This season I mainly focused on the Gravel European and World Championships. The European Championships did not end well for me, because someone hit my front derailleur."

Even though the route mapped out in Oud-Heverlee suited someone like Slik better than the route mapped out in the prosecco region, he set off in Italy with great ambition. "Here in Italy there are a lot of steep climbs and that doesn't suit a rider like me very well. Those steep walls are especially difficult. And there are quite a lot of them," he confided to us, laughing. "I'm still going for a top ten or top fifteen finish. That would be very nice."

What exactly is planned for Slik in the coming months? "I will be doing some beach races in the coming months. That actually starts quite quickly. I will participate in Noordwijk at the end of October. The period without a race is therefore not that long," smiles Slik.