Vacansoleil rider talks about suffering, kangaroos, the course, and his relationship with Nick Nuyens
Outspoken Vacansoleil rider and member of the Belgian national team selection for this year's World Championships in Belgium, Bjorn Leukemans, has been keeping a journal of his experiences at the World Championships on his website. The Belgian has had some interesting notes so far on his experiences in Australia.
Two days ago, the top ten finisher at both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix confessed to being laid flat by the time difference.
"I can't believe the size of the jet lag! Friday, yesterday, was not good in the beginning when we were pushed to move our legs, but I found my way through."
Saturday was a different story though and Leukemans suffered badly. The Belgian team did a three hour ride and the Vacansoleil standout described his feelings on the bike akin to those of a "limp rag".
It hasn't just been Leukemans though: "[On Friday] it was Van Avermaet, [Saturday] it was especially Hoste and myself."
The bad feelings haven't been confined to just bad legs either, the sole point getter for the Dutch professional continental team admits to suffering from migraines as well.
It hasn't been all bad news though, and it's clear that Leukemans knows that the opening few days of suffering will pass soon, and when they do, there's a course tailor made for the Belgian team's talents, namely his and Philippe Gilbert. Leukemans likens the route to the race that he recently won - the Druivenkoers.
"I like the course. Let us say it's a bit like the course at Overijse. If I can quickly return to my rhythm, something good may come, and I can completely focus on the World Championships...It's a course perfect for me, and it is also suitable for Gilbert. It's really outstanding for a Classics rider."
In Sunday's journal entry, the process of adapting to the immense time difference continued, and Leukemans finally says there's a good feeling somewhere in there.
"Today, I feel happy and a lot better after the whopper of a jet lag on Saturday."
After remarking about a solid 125 km on the bike in good weather and the spotting of his first kangaroo, Leukemans turns his focus to the recent topic of his apparent falling out with former training partner, Nick Nuyens, following the Belgian Championships.
"I will never forget that Nick publicly supported me in the past at the time of 'The Thing' [referring of course to his testosterone positive]. That is not to say that you then must always agree with each other. The last thing I want is a whole controversy around it. There are disagreements between people everywhere, and that is now the case with us, but I don't think that it should be inflated to anything beyond that. I do not want anything else out of this."