Mike Teunissen assures he's still got goals to chase: "People often say: 'He is leaving Jumbo-Visma, that is the end'"

Last winter, Mike Teunissen exchanged the warm nest of Jumbo-Visma for Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. The goal was to ride more for himself and also support Biniam Girmay. He looks back on this with mixed feelings.

"But this year has given me perspective for the future. And that is not easy, because the level is really very high," a candid Teunissen tells WielerFlits.

In any case, the switch to Intermarché-Circus-Wanty has done him no harm. "What happens quite often is that people say: 'He is leaving Jumbo-Visma, that is the end of the matter'. In any case, I have proven that this is not the case. That's nice. Also for myself. Look, I'm not Alexander Kristoff's replacement. He had to achieve victories for the team. I ride most races in support and try to do it as well as possible. But in the end it is always nice that you can win, if you get the chance. In that respect, the first year is more than sufficient."

Winning is not as obvious as it seems, Teunissen experiences firsthand. "Yet it is victories and riding on screen that count. It's nice that we managed to win at least twice. Because that's really not that easy nowadays. Certainly not with the extremely high level of recent years. If you notice that a lot of things are going well in 2019, you expect it to remain that way.¨"