Laurence Pithie as ambitious as ever, looks to match Mathieu van der Poel this spring: "I really want to compete with him"

Laurence Pithie has had a breakthrough season this year with Groupama-FDJ, showing tremendous performances even through he's struggled with endurance. But with another year in the bag and a contract with a strong Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, the Kiwi is looking to match the biggest names this spring including Mathieu van der Poel.

Pithie has shown himself as a quality rider in the hilly classics and sprints. “... Even if you had told me at the beginning of the season that I would win a WorldTour race (Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, ed.), finish seventh in Roubaix or wear the yellow jersey in Paris-Nice, I would have signed for that right away," Pithie said in an interview with Rouleur. Roubaix was perhaps the one big classic where he didn't struggle with the duration and showed what he is truly capable of in the spring classics. At Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne and Gent-Wevelgem he was part of the winning attacks but cracked in key moments.

“I would have liked to stay with Groupama-FDJ, but I struggled with many aspects of the team. For example, there was a language barrier. As I became more of a leader this year, I realised that it was difficult to express myself in another language," Pithie admitted. "Joining an English-speaking team was probably a good start for me and my future".

The French team has reinforced itself this winter as well with more quality French riders whilst Pithie will join the German team, that has signed several classics specialists for the upcoming spring including the likes of Jan Tratnik, Oier Lazkano and the van Dijke twins. They will form the bulk of the classics block and the 22-year old is motivated for the new challenge.

“When you are at a high level and your teammates around you are at a high level, you only push each other up. It is not that I think I am going to be a leader and rock my way through Belgium. I also like to work for other people," he adds. His goals mostly stand in the spring: “Sanremo is where it all starts for me in terms of the big classics."

But the big one he admits, is the one where he performed his best in April. "And then Roubaix. Roubaix can sometimes be a bit of a lottery, but at the moment Van der Poel is on the highest podium and he dominates the monuments. I really want to compete with him. I know it is ambitious and I am young, but you have to start somewhere," he concluded.