Lorena Wiebes aims high in 2024: "If I don't win the Olympic road race, it will be up to the Tour whether the season is a success"

It's logical that Lorena Wiebes is not aiming low in 2024. Why would she after all? Aged 24, she's having some of her years still ahead, despite already being among the best riders in the world. Still, there's one goal that draws the former European Champion like a magnet this year. That is the Olympic Games road race, in the streets of Paris. And Wiebes is naturally dreaming of no less than gold.

"I want to have a good spring, so that I can get into the selection for the Games," she begins at her team's press conference. "I think the local circuit can be compared a little bit with Glasgow. Up and down every time, twisting and turning... That last climb can be quite heavy.

So Wiebes dreams out loud of a beautiful finish photo with the Eiffel Tower in the background. "If I don't win the Olympic road race, it will be up to the Tour whether the season is a success. For me, it is especially important in the Tour to be at the start in Valkenburg with the yellow jersey. And finishing the Tour once would be nice. Green jersey? Yes, that would be nice too."

Although Wiebes has grown into a rider in recent seasons who can do much more than sprint fast, she also wants to continue participating in sprints. "I want to find the balance in that, that I can move up well, but that I can still sprint well. I did not focus very much on the sprints last winter, but I notice from my wattages that it is okay, perhaps even slightly better than this period last year."