Belgium’s Tour de France hope recognises his need to work on technique against the clock
Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) was another of the potential Tour de France contenders present at the 2012 race presentation yesterday to express a little disappointment over the number of time trial kilometres. The Belgian climber finished fifth in the 2010 race, the best for a Belgian since Claude Criquielion in 1986, and was one of the favourites in this year’s race. The massive pile up on the descent of the Col du Pas de Peyrol on stage nine put paid to his chances though, as he suffered fractures to his shoulder blade and ribs, as well as a punctured lung.
The 2012 course features 96.1km of time trials, which could potentially spell disaster for Van Den Broeck, as he lost time to virtually all of his rivals in the decisive penultimate stage of 2010.
“I would have preferred more difficult cols and more mountaintop finishes, and a mountain time trial too,” the Belgian told Het Nieuwsblad. “To get onto the podium I’m going to have to get on my time trial bike soon!”
Van Den Broeck was not always so bad against the clock; he actually won the junior World time trial title in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2001, and has had a number of promising results since. Concentrating on climbing in recent years though, has seen his technique suffer.
“I was good,” he said. “Otherwise I’d never have become a World champion. Even as a young professional I was still pretty good; six years ago [in 2006 – ed] I was ninth in a time trial during the Tour de Romandie in Lausanne and third in the Tour of Belgium. It’s something that’s no longer there.”
For Van Den Broeck to make even the bottom step of the Tour podium in Paris next July, the Belgian needs to do some work over the winter on his time trialling technique. For him to become the first Belgian winner of the race sine Lucien Van Impe in 1976, would take a virtual miracle.
“We planning to do tests this month and in November,” he explained. “Along with my trainer I’m going to look for the perfect time trial position again; I currently lose too much of my power. It’s in my body; I just need to find the ideal way to convert that strength in speed.”
Many climbing specialists have paid little more than lip service to their time trial position, preferring to concentrate their training on the climbing that they excel in. Van Den Broeck knows though, that this will not be nearly enough if he is to compete with powerful riders against the clock like Toru champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), three-time winner Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard) or British contender Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky).
“You don’t find your perfect time trial position by crawling onto your time trial bike twice a week in March and April,” he said. “No. It has to be done now. I’m going to do it obsessively. I’m going to Mallorca in November, where I’ll work on my time trial. There you get perfect weather and ideal, straight roads.
“Sven Nys will be my neighbour there,” he winked, referring to the cyclocross Kannibaal’s second home there.