Lennert van Eetvelt into Strade Bianche: "A top-five finish would be great, and a podium would be even better"

Lennert van Eetvelt is a rider that is experimenting himself this year with a very unique schedule and today at Strade Bianche he will have one of his biggest tests. 11th on the gravel roads last year, but this time around he can aim for more after what was a breakthrough season and a versatility that very few riders have.

"Last year, the wet gravel almost literally sucked our tires into the ground. This year, we can expect not just a dusty race, but also a much faster one," Van Eetvelt said in a press release issued by the team".

Perhaps when it comes to bike handling the 23-year old is not amongst the best, but when it comes to a lot of climbing and a profile such as that of Strade Bianche, then there will be few riders able to be at his level. Last year's winner of UAE Tour and Tour of Guangxi leads an ambitious Lotto who will look to fight for the podium.

"I felt myself improving day by day. I feel good now, but a race like Strade is always unpredictable. I hope to play a role in the final. I managed to do that last year, so of course, I want to do even better this time. A top-five finish would be great, and a podium would be even better," he argues. "Though I think that’s probably the highest achievable result."

Van Eetvelt admits that he does not often ride in this terrain, but he likes it, and motivation goes a long way in a race that has such brutal psychological demands. "I don’t ride on gravel much, but races like this, and these recons—those are moments I really enjoy," he concluded.

It will be just one of his tests this spring, following the UAE Tour such as Tadej Pogacar. He will also race the Volta a Catalunya, straight into the Tour of Flanders, then the three Ardennes classics and the Tour de Romandie; he will race the Tour de France in search of stage wins and then test himself as a GC contender for the Vuelta a España.