"My ambition is to win a Grand Tour with the team" - Steven Kruijswijk looks to put bad luck behind him and make Team Visma | Lease a Bike Tour de France selection
Cycling
Steven Kruijswijk has suffered a lot in recent seasons, being a victim of injury and bad luck. As Team Visma | Lease a Bike dominated in 2023, winning every Grand Tours, the Dutchman was notably absent at all three of cycling's biggest races.
“I'm still recovering. I have now broken my collarbone and shoulder twice in a row," the 36-year-old reflects in an interview with Wielerflits. "That usually doesn't make things any better. It is important to continue to pay attention to it in the future, but it is not hindering me on the bike at the moment.”
As mentioned, Kruijswijk missed out on all three of Team Visma | Lease a Bike's Grand Tour victories in 2023 and the Dutchman crashed out on stage 15 of Jonas Vingegaard's 2022 Tour de France success. In 2024, the vastly experienced, Visma stalwart is keen to get back to being an integral part of the team's plans in the biggest races.
“It is once again my ambition to win a Grand Tour with the team and I just hope to be part of the Tour team again," he explains. "The way it looks now, that will happen. My year will be a success if we win the Tour with the team and I have made a major contribution to it, until the end."
"I start in Tirreno-Adriatico, together with Jonas Vingegaard. After that, I also go out with him a lot, to the Volta a Catalunya and the Itzulia Basque Country," Kruijswijk concludes. "The Tour preparation then begins with an altitude camp, followed by the Critérium du Dauphiné. It will still be open after the Tour, but that is not certain yet. I am on the longlist for the Vuelta a España.”
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