"We’re not going to wait for a Van der Poel or Pogacar" - Astana's new classics leader launches attack warning

The Opening Weekend is just at our door and the cobbled classics specialists begin here a key month and a half to their season. From Omloop het Nieuwsblad all the way to Paris-Roubaix we will have the likes of Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar present in the main races; which means that most will race more aggressively and from earlier on - as is the case with XDS Astana Team's Arjen Livyns.

The Belgian rider, a new addition to the Kazakh team, is entering the classics as one of the team's main weapons to perform in the Flemish one-day races. “We don’t have one outspoken leader, so we’re not going to wait for a Van der Poel or Pogacar,”he said in words to In de Leiderstrui. “The key is to get as many guys as possible into the groups that are just ahead — or, later on, just behind.”

Lacking a specific leader in a field where there aren't many riders capable of taking the win, their tactics are likely to revolve around their depth and lack of responsibility to work. Davide Ballerini, Alberto Bettiol and Mike Teunissen are all experienced riders in this terrain, who are joined by the 31-year old.

“The more, the better, because then you can play more cards. It gives a feeling of strength — of having the upper hand. They’re all solid guys who’ve proven they can get results in the Classics. I don’t think it will be a disadvantage for me at all.”

“So far I’ve taken a step forward every year. I’m not the biggest talent or a serial winner, but this year I felt strong and the races went the way I wanted them to, especially in the Classics.”

The Belgian is a rider that is only now racing in the World Tour for the first time, however he has had experience racing at a high level for several years now. He had shown to have the quality to be up front in the important races, however last year the specific circumstances at Lotto led him to be in the leading role.

“We thought Arnaud [De Lie] was the leader, and my job was to try to help him in the final — either to a win or a top result. Then Arnaud dropped out, and we had to try and get ourselves into the final with a couple of riders. I grabbed that free role and made the best of it. It was a blessing in disguise.”

A string of decent results such as 17th at Omloop het Nieuwsblad, 13th at the Nokere Koerse, 25th at Milano-Sanremo and 23rd at the E3 Saxo Classic showed his consistency; and he topped it off with an eighth spot at Dwars door Vlaanderen, arriving in the same group as Mads Pedersen and Tibor del Grosso. He is looking to translate that form into another spring campaign.

Livyns also explains his departure from the Belgian team, which was in part due to the merger with Intermarché - Lotto. “I didn’t have a running contract with Lotto. From the start, it was clear that if something nice came along, I could definitely consider it. After the spring, it was a pretty busy period with contracts and transfers. Keeping everything in mind, we made a decision. But it’s certainly true that the merger helped me make that decision" he admits.

Whilst the Lotto riders were kept under contract far more than those from Intermarché, Livyns saw the opportunity for a new environment, in which he is challenging himself. Astana was a bold move, but one that made sense for Livyns at this point in his career.

“Especially if you look at how they raced last year — and the huge history of the team. That’s something I look for when I make a transfer, and it’s something I looked for earlier when I joined Lotto: I wanted a strong base, a team that’s been in the cycling world for years. Astana have been at the top for a long time, they know what they have to do.”