Vacansoleil rider calls Pegasus, “much more professionally designed than what [he] is used to”
The 28 year old Bobbie Traksel scored the biggest win of his career with the victory in a horrific edition of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne this spring. The native of Tiel instantly shot to wider awareness with the victory and, on the heels of that victory and a vast amount of experience in the Belgian and Dutch classics, will head to the ProTour hopeful Pegasus team in 2011.
In an interview with Radio Gelderland, Traksel immediately points out some significant differences between his former Vacansoleil team and his future Australian squad.
“It is much more professionally designed that what I’m used to. In November, I’m going to do some wind tunnel testing to optimize my position. Also, the shoes for every rider [on the team] are custom fit, instead of the standard products that ever cycling tourist can buy.”
In a moment of call it indiscretion or forgetfulness, Traksel claims to be the only rider on next year’s Pegasus team to have won a Classic – the team’s top sprinter, Robbie McEwen, can lay claim to five wins at Paris-Brussels.
“I will not do much racing in Australia. I will mainly do a European program with the Flemish races. I’m the one on the team who has won a classic. I’ll be able to give the young Australian riders information on the Flemish roads with all of their tossing and turning, which are very difficult.”
Though, Traksel can lay claim to the big win at last year’s Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, his career has been one of great promise never quite fully realized. Traksel won the U23 Ronde van Vlaanderen in 2000, then took Veenendaal-Veenendaal in 2002, along with a stage of the Sachsen Tour and the Ster Elektrotoer, but after that, the results were few and far between. 2008 was a return to the promise of old with the overall and a stage of the Driedaagse van West Vlaanderen, a 7th at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, and 5th at the Nokere Koerse – all confirming that there was still a lot of potential in the legs of Bobbie Traksel.
The contract with Pegasus seems to be an indicator that the Australian team is ready to take on not only an experienced Dutch Classics specialist, but also that they hope to bring out the talent that has long lingered just below the surface with Traksel.
Traksel feels that his teachings within the team will also be important for his own results. If he can show his future teammates the ropes in the difficult early season Classics, his quick finishing speed could lead to many more results.
“I will teach them to race at the front, this will have the added benefit of having more riders in the finale, who will be able to help me.”
The Dutchman’s words are those of an excited, enthusiastic rider who appears to have gotten the break of his career with a modern, forward thinking team; a team that will hopefully be Australia’s first ever ProTour squad.