"Wout van Aert enthusiastic about my arrival", Dylan van Baarle says

Dylan van Baarle's move to Jumbo-Visma is another chapter in the current trend of the stronger teams further growing out their team. The Dutch team already had the lineup that was considered to be the strongest classics in the field by many, but they have added the Paris-Roubaix winner to it's squad.

“Of course it's great when you see those teams fighting for your signature. That certainly strokes my ego. That's what you do it for," van Baarle told Helden Magazine. “It was one of those moments: if I sign up now, I'll probably stay with the same team for the rest of my career. Or am I trying to look elsewhere to see what they can get out of me?"

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Van Baarle has a long palmarès in the classics, but has not only won Paris-Roubaix, he also finished second at both the Tour des Flandres and the Leuven World Championships. In terms of results he is without a doubt a headliner when it comes to the cobbled classics, and in 2023 he will be teaming up with Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte and Tiesj Benoot, all riders who have individually thrived in the classics this year.

"Jumbo-Visma has started a process in recent years in which you can clearly see that it is on an upward trend. I think we can say that this is the best team in the peloton at the moment. I wonder if they can make me even better," he continued. “I'm familiar with the way INEOS Grenadiers works and that involves a lot of routine for me. At Jumbo-Visma I now feel a bit of 'coming home'."

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"You would also like to be part of such a well-structured top team from your own country if you are Dutch. Of course I have already been part of the Rabobank training team and I also worked there with trainer Mathieu Heijboer at the time. I'm really curious what he can get out of me in the coming years," van Baarle says excitingly. He will not have an absolute leader role in the classics, but can benefit from his partnership with other experts to thrive in the spring.

“With men like Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte and Tiesj Benoot, there is a team that can leave a mark on those races. I think such a strong collective increases my chances of winning a classic. After all, it is important that you are in the final with more guys. At Jumbo you have that guarantee, because there are at least five riders who can participate deep in the final," van Baarle said.

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He thoroughly believes his position alongside the likes of van Aert and Laporte will not harm his own chances of success. “I don't see that as a disadvantage. The most important thing is that Wout is not alone. That was the case last spring, outside the E3 [Saxo Bank Classic]. Having the collective majority is going to be our key to winning those great classics."

"My weakness is my sprint, but my strength is that I know how to win races in a different way. After Roubaix, I spoke again with the team management of Jumbo about the division of roles. We know that Wout is the leader and he must also see my arrival. Even after Roubaix, he was still enthusiastic about my arrival. That gives me the confidence that we are stronger together and that we can use that strength collectively," he concluded.

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