"We are not the favourites today, but we will fight" - Can Alberto Bettiol continue Astana's electric start to 2025 at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad?
Cycling
The fight for World Tour promotion and relegation is really hotting up. At the start of the year, not many believed that the XDS Astana Team had a genuine chance to retaining their place amongst the peloton's elite, but an electric start to 2025 has given renewed hope and it's with this momentum that Alberto Bettiol leads the team into Opening Weekend at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
“My teammates have had a good start to the season. Now and also next week we can say that the real races are starting, the period of the classics," assesses the Italian national champion in a pre-race interview ahead of proceedings getting underway in Belgium this Saturday. "We have trained well, I like the team, we are united and realistic about our possibilities. We are not the favourites today, but in this race, we saw it last year, you never know, it is never over until the finish, so we will fight.“
“The way we race here is totally different to any other cobblestone race. We race a bit crazy around here and I think that’s why people love watching us," continues Bettiol with a smile. "There are some points in the race where we need to be in front to play our cards. I’m really looking forward to racing today despite the cold and cloudy day.”
And ultimately, the momentum accrued by the team in early 2025 has given the entire XDS Astana Team roster a massive lift. "I want to see how my teammates will adhere to this new atmosphere that is in the team. It is not the old Astana, it is a new one," explains Bettiol of the situation within the team. "And if we ride well this will give us extra motivation also looking at the rest of the season," he concludes fiercely.
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🇧🇪 ROSTER: @OmloopHNB @ceesbol1995 @ballero_94 @AlbertoBettiol
— XDS Astana Team (@XDSAstanaTeam) February 28, 2025
Michele Gazzoli
Alessandro Romele@IdeSchelling @MikeTeunissen #OHN25 #XDSAstanaTeam pic.twitter.com/N9aziEJa7b
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- I think they mistimed their ride by a day and it was intended to be an April Fools thing, coz there’s a video floating around of him training the cobbles behind a motorbike.Mistermaumau11-04-2025
- I like how there are no comments but couldn’t resist when I saw Gilbert’s video post of Pog following the motorbike. Was it April 1st by any chance?Mistermaumau11-04-2025
- What ruling? You aren’t referring to the recent April Fool’s gag?mobk11-04-2025
- Shoulda , woulda, coulda.... pundits can say what they like cycling isn't quite like that and that's what keeps us watching, what keeps sponsors interested etc etcslappers6611-04-2025
- One bike throw at Flanders and a series of mechanicals at Roubaix, and yes, he could have won both, and Van der Poel would have two less on his list. Wout van Aert will likely never reach the magical space of the year he won on Ventoux, the TT, and the Champs Elysées during the Tour, and he's just that tiny notch below the best right now, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a chance. It's Paris-Roubaix, you never know who is going to really make the difference.RidesHills11-04-2025
- The race is NOT on MAX. It's on NBC Sports (Peacock).Ben11-04-2025
- Hard men heal quickly.bobo11-04-2025
- Always reassuring to see articles that explain timelines so well, almost 3 months since when, mid-October then? But if Wout can come back like he did in 5 months so can he. By May he should be in top form again, just in time to let it settle in a while for July. Happy you’re back Remco, go catch em.Mistermaumau11-04-2025
- Yeah, sorry, you said it yourself, it’s the Olympics, not a WC, not a Tour, not a monument, not a team event, not a cycling gala. A once every 4 year event to bring nations together to celebrate the diversity of sport, so what if breakdancing has been included instead of 30 more cyclists who are paid pros? Know your Olympic history, remember drawing? The whole reason of the Olympics is for mainstream public to discover sport they rarely notice, for sports to showcase themselves to public that doesn’t usually watch and in order for athletes from lower ranked nations to participate with the elite for once. The US (now Jamaïca) have known this problem since dominating sprinting but there is no solution, you cannot resolve the Celebrate every nation vs Have only the best equation, it has to be a mix. Already nations with more than 1 cyclist have an advantage, being able to work as a team. As for those countries that can’t keep up, all the better for the elite’s chances, don’t knock it, and sorry but if you allow a Kiesenhofer to win gold, you don’t deserve any medal as an elite. The races have been fine with those that took part, just improve so you make your national selection, if you don’t make that, you don’t really deserve a medal anyway do you?Mistermaumau11-04-2025
- so excited to see remco back!! Cycling only gets better from herebruins3011-04-2025