Belgian classics specialist impressed with new team as he prepares for the spring
After two less than successful years at Rabobank, Nick Nuyens has joined up with his new Saxo Bank-SunGard team. The Belgian classics specialist is impressed with what he has found, and as a veteran of a number of different teams he has noticed some particular differences with the Danish team.
“I guess it’s normal that every team has its own culture as you have many different nationalities mixed in one melting pot,” he said. “But what I really noticed was the discipline within the team members. When somebody’s talking, everybody listens. There’s no noise and that’s pretty rare to find when you’re dealing with a bunch of riders. The importance of true team spirit is really particular. I really believe it can bring people to a higher level and that was one of the things that attracted me a lot.
“Of course, there is also the person of Bjarne Riis,” he added. “The experience and the knowledge he has is crucial for the team. I have great confidence in him.”
Nuyens is setting out his targets for the season, and as usual will be aiming for the spring classics.
“My main goals are the classics of the north from the end of March until late April from ‘Dwars door Vlaanderen to Amstel Gold Race’”, he explained. “In that period, the biggest and most important races for me are the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Amstel Gold Race. Naturally, I’m hoping for a big result. But there are many great cyclists in the field.
“My biggest rivals are [Tom] Boonen, [Philippe] Gilbert, [Fabian] Cancellara, [Alessandro] Ballan, [Filippo] Pozzato, and [Juan Antonio] Flecha.”
While it’s a little early for Nuyens to identify the specific riders whom he expects to be working for him as he aims for his big targets, the Belgian is confident that the team’s infrastructure and experience will help.
“The team can help me with different things,” he said. “The feeling of having a team behind me might be the most important thing. This team is really professional and there’s a lot of knowledge about training methods and tactics I’m willing to learn from. I’m really open to the philosophy and knowledge of the team and I’m sure it will bring me to a higher level,”