Laurens Sweeck ahead of World Championship - "I do have podium ambitions, I'm looking forward to it"

Laurens Sweeck wrapped up the World Cup with a silver finish, just under a minute behind winner Mathieu van der Poel in Besançon.

"Although I did have a bad start. And at the end of the first lap, there was a crash in front of me," said Sweeck in the post race interview. It gave him the chance to take the lead. He left a chasing pack of riders in his wake."I had to close that gap, only it was difficult to gain places."

He further added, "When Mathieu attacked, the rest looked at each other. For me, that was the sign to go to the front. But second place was the highest possible today."

The World Championships is the next destination, and he has no qualms about expressing his desire for a gold medal. "I'm looking forward to it. It is the biggest race of the season anyway and I do have podium ambitions. The course there is similar to today. It's also fast, and then I'm going to be up front," concluded Sweeck.