Laurens De Plus on how Peter van Petegem convinced his parents to let De Plus race: "My parents kept me away from cycling for a long time because they thought it was dangerous"

Laurens De Plus was a guest at the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast. The teammates joked about their Giro, which they rode together and which ultimately did not end well for Thomas, about their first meeting with each other, but also about the football career of Ninove's 'Wettel'.

"When I was young, I was a big, defensive midfielder," De Plus begins, after which co-host Tom Fordyce asks about the player he most compares himself to in terms of style. "Apart from the hair, I think Marouane Fellaini. That's what they always told me at school."

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De Plus had to undergo surgery on his knee, which quickly ended his football career. "That forced me to stop, because my knee was completely destroyed. Now it is still difficult to walk, because my cartilage is somewhat damaged. My passion has always been cycling, because it is the most important sport in Belgium."

"The week before the Tour of Flanders is like the holy week, I even watched that race as a footballer. However, my parents were not really fans of the race, because they thought it was a dangerous sport, and they kept me away from it for a long time. However, cycling was my passion and I looked for the moment to switch to cycling, buy a racing bike and sign for a team behind my parents' backs."

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On holiday, none other than Peter van Petegem convinced his parents to let De Plus race. The two-time winner of the Tour of Flanders happened to be staying in the same hotel with the De Plus family. "After a few pints on the beach or at the pool, he convinced my parents. I still thank Van Petegem for that. So it wasn't planned, but fate decided it that way."

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