He’d previously ruled out starting cycling’s biggest event in 2010 but, morale boosted by his recent form, Stijn Devolder will today decide if he will indeed ride the Tour de France.
The 30 year old yesterday soloed to a fine victory in the Belgian road race championships, following up on repeated attacks by Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma Lotto) with one of his own. He clipped away eleven kilometres from the end of the race and hit the line 23 seconds ahead of the pre-race favourite.
“I have dreamed of this the whole season,” said Devolder to Sporza. “I had a miserable season behind me, but it has been better in recent weeks. Because of my illness, I still had doubts in Switzerland, but I have built back up.”
He succeeded his team-mate Tom Boonen as Belgian champion, keeping the jersey in the Quick Step team. The younger rider will miss the Tour de France due to an ongoing knee injury, thus freeing up a slot in the Tour squad. Given his strong form and the publicity value of the champion’s jersey, Devolder would be a very good addition to the line-up.
No decision has been taken as yet, but at least he appears less opposed to the idea than before. “I will just enjoy this with my family,” he said. “The Belgian championship was a priority for me. I have not even thought about the Tour. It [riding the race] perhaps makes sense, but I also wanted to ride well in the autumn and I have had no rest this season. We will decide on Monday.”
As he admits, his early season was a very quiet one; he was only 25th in the Tour of Flanders and 45th in Paris-Roubaix. Quick Step manager Patrick Lefevere made his displeasure known and suggested that Devolder would find himself looking elsewhere for a ride in 2011.
Whether it was that threat, or another reason, the rider fared far better in the Tour of Belgium. He placed second and third on stages and scooped the overall victory, repeating his 2008 win. He then raced to a solid 17th overall in the Tour de Suisse, fourth in Halle – Ingooigem and then pulled off the victory yesterday.
Devolder admits that he was under a degree of stress before the race. “When I rode past the local supporters this week, everything was prepared for a big party. That brought pressure, but I have done everything [I had to]. I did it my way. I rode away from the others and that’s just great.”
He’ll now make his mind up in the next few hours as to what his plans are for July. A holiday has its attractions, of course, but so too the chance to honour his jersey in the Tour. He also has an additional incentive as a good ride there would lead to many contract offers.
As things stand, there’s a chance he will be leaving the Quick Step team and wearing a different logo on his Belgian jersey in 2011. "I do not know where I will ride next year,” he said. “We'll see who is interested.”