"The lesser gods often ride faster than the leaders like Wout Van Aert" - Oliver Naesen observes that it's often better to slow down at winter camps

Oliver Naesen had seen a lot during his career and now can pass down the things he has learned to his teammate. One such observation he has acquired during the years is that those who fly at December training camps are often not the ones able to keep up when races get intense later on in the season. To back up his opinion, the experienced Belgian shares a recent anecdote with his fellow teammate who had the opportunity to train with a star of Wout Van Aert's caliber.

"I see a lot of guys who can't pace themselves, who are already giving way too much," Naesen explains at Het Laatste Nieuws. "That's a typical phenomenon at the beginning of December: the lesser gods often ride faster than the leaders. That's not necessary. I arrived in the last group with the losers in the past few days. So I'm doing well."

The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider continues with a laugh, telling an anecdote. "Last week we had a rider who went to train with Wout van Aert. He came back and said: 'But guys, that Wout rides slow, really slow!' I asked him if he could learn a lesson from that?"

"Whether there was anything to be learned from a top rider like Van Aert riding so slowly? No, he thought, nothing. Yes, okay, never mind then. Who was that? Sander De Pestel."

A rider who won't let himself be rushed at DecathlonAG2R La Mondiale is the French talent Pierre Gautherat, of whom Naesen expects a lot in the coming years. "A Gautherat like that has that brake on training camp to do what he has to do: ride long enough, be serious, but not constantly race against 'Spic and Span.' He is super serious, he has the head you need to go for it."