Gerben Kuypers' coach tells is main problem: "It is no coincidence that Gerben suffered two punctures in the Maasmechelen cross"

Gerben Kuypers is looking to have his breakthrough season in cyclocross. After beating Eli Iserbyt at the Kermiscross Ardooie he was thought to be jumping to the top of the discipline together with Thibau Nys, but ever since he hasn't quite gotten there yet. There may be a detail explaining his inconsistencies however.

"Gerben is now often the last to choose his spot in the second row, meaning that the spots behind [Kevin] Kuhn or Lars van der Haar have already been taken. Those men often leave very quickly, and then you can surf along at that speed," Circus-ReUz-Technord coach and cyclocross legend Bart Wellens told Wielerflits. "Now you sometimes end up behind riders who have a little less courage to dive through a gap.”

Wellens is one of the most experienced figures in the sport and he knows how to guide young talents to the top. Kuypers seems to have those abilities, however the struggle to position himself at the start of races has been hampering him. “In some races he rides very fast. But an additional problem is: if you have to come from so far away, you sometimes have to take more risks. It is no coincidence that Gerben suffered two punctures in the Maasmechelen cross. He ends up on surfaces where he has not explored, because he wants to gain positions," Wellens reveals.

"Fortunately, Gerben is someone with a lot of character, who does not easily complain. He continues to take steps and soon we will no longer talk about this.” Kuypers has finished 14th in Maasmechelen and then 13th at the European Championships, a step down from his performances earlier int he year. Still in early November however, the season is still long and the 23-year old will have to gather a lot of experience in the starts so as to be able to better contest for victories.