"They call them sh*t races, but that's where you learn to learn to race" - former National coach on downfall of Dutch cycling

Dutch men's cycling is not in a nice spot. Despite the overwhelming success of Mathieu van der Poel, the situation is far from ideal as there seems to be precisely only the soon 30 years old Van der Poel who can deliver success for the traditional cycling nation. Meanwhile Belgium have Remco Evenepoel, Wout Van Aert, Jasper Philipsen, Tim Merlier, and the list goes on...

Yes, Dutch cycling have the phenomenal Mathieu van der Poel. But... where is everyone else? "There are several reasons for that," former National Team coach Egon van Kessel begins in an interview for RIDE Magazine. He draws a comparison to their natural rivals from Belgium who, contrary to Netherlands, can always count on multiple top-class leaders. "First of all, this has been the case throughout history. Belgium is a racing country, the Netherlands is a cycling country. That is a world of difference. Racing is a culture that we do not have."

"A very important step in this is that the Netherlands has taken the path of data. Big teams in the Netherlands select riders based on data, strength, power, VO2max, I don't know what. The team leaders who guide these men, their plans are based on training. That has led to us forgetting how to race. The Dutch only train. If they get forty days of racing, that's a lot. While as a young rider you really have to learn how to race. You have to race to learn, learn how to win next time. But we don't learn that."

"They have remained old-fashioned to some extent. According to some, I belong to the old cycling. I am very proud of that. Winning a race is still done with the same tactics as in the twenties and thirties of the last century. You have to teach those strategies and the lessons of racing to young riders. That happens far too little in the Netherlands."

"In Belgium, they race a lot more. In all UCI .1 races, you see almost all Belgian pros," Van Kessel, who spent some time in races alongside Dutch conti team BEAT Cycling, points out. "Jumbo-Visma? They were almost never there. I'll tell you in jargon: they call them shit races, with narrow roads and bad asphalt."

The coach believes that's a pretentious point of view that hurts Dutch cycling: "That's where you learn to race, that's where you learn to steer, you get more agility, you learn how to ride concentrated for five hours, you learn to fall on your face, because these are difficult races. That's simply necessary."