Entering the new season, and his first with the newly named Lotto-Belisol squad, Jelle Vanendert is facing several realities. For the first time since he joined the Belgian Lotto squad, the team roster does not include Philippe Gilbert, as the superstar has moved on to BMC Racing.
And the second reality is that the cycling public now knows his name, along with his impressive capabilities.
Vanendert did not exactly burst onto the scene at the beginning of last year, as he picked up a DNF in the Volta a Catalunya and a 62nd overall in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. But it turned out that Vanendert had built fantastic form that he would use to provide excellent support for Gilbert in the Ardennes Classics. As the Walloon was taking the trifecta, Vanendert finished in the top twenty at the Amstel Gold Race and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, as well as an outstanding sixth place at Fleche Wallone.
With Gilbert now leading a different team, some are expecting Vanendert to pair with Jurgen Van Den Broeck and earn Lotto-Belisol its first Classics victory. While Vanendert does permit himself to think ahead, he is tempering his enthusiasm leading into 2012.
“That people have come to expect things from me, this seems normal,” he said according to Het Nieuwsblad. “But I would be more than satisfied with the same [results] as last year. That does not indicate a lack of ambition, but it is a realistic way of thinking.”
Though he was bested by only five others on top of the Mur de Huy last April, Vanendert was quick to mention those others as the favourites for the Ardennes Classics this year.
“There will indeed be more pressure but I’m not the type of rider who can say with confidence that I will win a Classic,” he admitted. “Riders who can, they are sparse. Philippe Gilbert, Joaquin Rodriguez, and the Schlecks, and with that, you are done talking about it.”
Vanendert well and truly burst onto the world scene in the Tour de France, when he climbed to victory on stage 14 to Plateau de Beille last season. He held the polka dot jersey for a time before Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) was able to wrestle it away before Paris.
He wouldn’t rule anything out as he targets the Tour, the Vuelta a España, the Olympics and the Worlds road race in 2012, but Vanendert maintains the humility he has shown ever since the cycling world learned his name.
“My experience has taught me that this is a job that must be learned,” he added. “In the Classics, I belong in the group of 10 or 15 riders who can say they can win the race if the situation plays in their favour. The same goes for a stage win and a good placing in the Tour. But I am not a real leader.”