Marijn van den Berg expects smooth transition of EF Education-EasyPost after a big transfer season: "The youngsters are eager to show themselves"

Marijn van den Berg is already beginning his third year in the EF Education-EasyPost outfit. The 24-year-old Dutch with fast finish took his first WorldTour victory in Poland last summer and now hungers for more in 2024, he tells In de Leiderstrui.

EF Education-EasyPost will bet a lot on youth this year, which means a lot of internal competition, but also a chance for more experienced rider like Van den Berg to step into a leader's role in some races. "The vibe is good. We have a lot of young newcomers next year, so that makes it a bit different. But the atmosphere is great and those guys are eager to show themselves."

At which races will Van den Berg kick off the season? "It is fairly clear," he says. "Just like last year, I'll start in Mallorca, then I'll go to Portugal. Then I come to Paris-Nice and some classics." Racing in Mallorca brought the Dutchman a big success in form of his first professional victory at Trofeo Alcudia.

Regarding classics, Van den Berg is still tight-lipped. "We have to wait and see how the start of the season goes. I'm not up for a lot of classics, but in a race like Gent-Wevelgem I hope to do well and the team also expresses a lot of confidence in that. That's nice, especially after things went well last year."