"We don't have to carry the race" - The Dutch men will fly to Rwanda without a clear leader and pressure

The Netherlands will have to manage without their biggest star Mathieu van der Poel at the Kigali World Championships. That leaves the traditional powerhouse without a clear path to victory and so the decisional of national coach to bring only six men (instead of maximum available - 8) seems logical. "The World Championships in Rwanda have a very demanding course, so not everyone is eligible," national coach Koes Moerenhout explained to WielerFlits. "You also have to deal with unusual circumstances: it's at altitude, in an African climate, and you need to get several vaccinations. These are additional factors. If you have any doubts about going, you don't go." It will be a logistical nightmare with a mostly similar selection heading also for the European Championships in Ardeche a week later. And all that in a period with many hilly one-day races on the regular programme. "The European Championships are coming right after, with a course suitable for the same type of rider as the World Championships in Rwanda." "Simultaneously with the European Championships, there's also the program for the commercial teams, particularly the Italian autumn classics with a similar profile. It was difficult to find a good way to navigate that. Because I believe you shouldn't go to a World Championship just for the sake of it. You have to travel because you want to perform there and get the most out of it."

"I'm convinced we can do that with this group," says the national coach about his chosen six - Thymen Arensman, Koen Bouwman, Frank van den Broek, Bauke Mollema, Sam Oomen and Wout Poels. Visma's Menno Huising will be waiting for a call up as a reserve, but normally the quota of eight spots available to Netherlands should not be fulfilled.

It's clear the goal isn't to dominate the race, but Moerenhout is not worried about competitive level of this team. "Among them, there's no top favorite for the title. That's not a problem at all, and it doesn't mean you can't get a good starting position from that. But it does create a different dynamic. We don't have to carry the race. I can free up certain roles for that now."