Kata Blanka Vas "radiates something", Lars Boom says following season debut

Blanka Kata Vas won the Kermiscross Ardooie yesterday thanks to her stellar performance. She secured two victories on the road this season, and it was her fourth victory of the season in cyclocross.

While we don’t know the exact schedule of Vas, TeamSD Worx sports director Lars Boom shed some light on her plans this season. In conversation with Sporza, he shared his experience when Vas crossed the finish line yesterday in Adrooie. "I saw a lot of abandonment from Blanka, and there was really a cut on the legs. So it looked really good."

The UCI Word Cup Tabor is scheduled to take place this Sunday, and Vas is one of the favourites. When asked if Vas’ performance is a glimpse of her rest of the season, Boom replied: "You can say that.”

It was not easy to secure the victory especially if you have an experienced rider like Shirin Van Anrooij trailing behind you. "You have to be convinced yourself that you can ride away from someone," Boom said. He continues, "I had told Blanka that from the start, she had to watch carefully who was with her. Halfway through the race, she got in the wheel for a bit and then she accelerated. So that was good."

Lars Boom is confident in Vas’ ability to deliver in World Cup this week. "I see someone who is quite calm before every start. She radiates something, and that does reassure me for the upcoming crosses. She finds it a beautiful race. Moreover, a large part of her family also always comes to watch because it is near Hungary. Because of this, she was nervous at the start of last year, but that has changed," concluded Boom.