Belgian previously took best young rider award in Giro d’Italia and Paris-Nice, hoping for a contract
Although he won two stages, took the points and mountains classifications and finished third overall in this year’s Tour of Austria, Kevin Seeldraeyers is still without a team for next season. The 27 year old has said that he hopes not to be forced to stop, but admits that things are tough for him right now.
“I have a hopeless feeling. I can’t do anything, the only thing I can do is to wait and see,” he told Sporza. “It makes training difficult. I’m sitting here constantly thinking about it.”
After five years with the Omega Pharma setup, Seeldraeyers moved to Astana prior to the 2012 season and has been there since. He showed his ability in 2009 when he was best young rider in both the Giro d’Italia and Paris-Nice, netting fourteenth overall in the first and seventh overall in the second.
This year was a good one for him, with the rider netting second on day two of the Presidential Tour of Turkey and netting eleventh overall, then taking third on a stage and second in the mountains classification at the Critérium du Dauphiné.
However despite that he was passed over for a place in the Tour de France, going instead to the Tour of Austria and taking those two stage wins plus the points and mountains classifications. Third overall in that race confirmed his good form but he was continuously passed over for selection. He’s frustrated by that.
“Most teams are full but I hope there is still one that needs a rider. I don’t know why it is that some other riders still find a team at the last minute and I do not; I don’t get it.
“Maybe it is because I’ve been in the picture less with Astana than with other teams. Since my victory at the Tour of Austria in July I rode just three races, which may also be something to do with it. Maybe they have lost sight of me.”
He said that he has no leads at this moment, saying that the teams he had contacted either told him to wait and see if something becomes available or that they had no place. He’s continuing to hope that something will happen, and has been spending time in Spain training in order to keep up his fitness level.
“My contract runs until January,” he said, considering his situation. “If I don’t have anything by then I should probably give up, but until then I’ll continue to train. For the time being I don’t think of stopping. The longer it takes, the harder it gets. My manager is working on it.”