Gert Steegmans has not always had the luck in the last few years in his sport as a professional cyclist. Seeing the professionalism from his new teammate Lance Armstrong on the American RadioShack team, the Belgian realized he is the maker of his own career.
Steegmans admits there were some things he needed to change. “I have had some headwind in my career, but I am trying to eliminate it,” he said in an interview to Sporza. “From now on I will be Gert-the-cyclist, and things that don’t fit with it, I eliminated this winter.”
And the list is quite interesting. “No mountain biking, no parties, no travels. I stayed in Monaco and came to Belgium only for New Years, where I went all out one final time. I still drink beer, but only one percent of what I used to drink,” the Belgian explained.
Instead, he has worked hard over the winter. “I don’t have to make up for the lost year, but it can actually happen. I feel fine and I have not yet missed a workout.” He had an almost perfect season opening, when he sprinted to place second in the stage one of the Tour Down Under.
Steegmans will be RadioShack’s man for the classics and is also in the pre-selection for the Tour de France. Team Manager John Bruyneel rates his compatriot as a classics winner. “That’s alright,” Steegmans said. “Many have been saying for years that I can do that. I want to know what that is, but I am not saying which race I will target.”
He is also interested in riding as a domestique at the right times. “I want to pull at the front of the Tour and go crazy when Lance wins!” And unlike last year, he also wants to race well into the later part of the season. “I want to go the Worlds in Australia. The course suits me well, it is a Ronde van Vlaanderen – but without the cobbles.”