"The fact that the peloton is so small makes it even more special" - Dylan van Baarle enjoys hard to control chaos of Olympic road race

On August 3rd, the men's peloton will embark on a fight for gold at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in the road race. Whilst some have been critical of the setup for the Olympic road race, Netherlands' Dylan van Baarle believes the extra chaos actually adds to the event.

"It's getting bigger and bigger. The fact that the peloton is so small makes it even more special that you can participate. I'm looking forward to experiencing a Games that are not dominated by Covid," the 32-year-old of Team Visma | Lease a Bike says in conversation with compatriot and fellow Olympic hopeful Daan Hoole on the In Koers podcast.

Having formerly competed at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, this time around, Van Baarle is likely to be one of Mathieu van der Poel's key domestiques for the road race and even perhaps, a viable plan B option should things go wrong for the world champion.

"I feel good in training. I've been at altitude for a long time and I've taken good care of myself. I expect a lot from it," Van Baarle previews optimistically. "In the sprint, I certainly shouldn't do it. We still have to discuss it with the team. I hope for a good day of course and I hope to be able to play a role in the final. That I can sit there with Mathieu and that we can play our cards."

Similarly to his team leader, Van Baarle also sees the Belgian duo of Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert as the biggest threats, although Van Baarle is well aware of other potential challengers. "The Belgians have a strong block. The Danes too, although we have to wait and see how Mads Pedersen has recovered," Van Baarle concludes. "Then you still have Christophe Laporte and Julian Alaphlippe with the French. Then I'm still missing a few men, but you'll mainly have to look at the classic guys."