Ardennes Classics, World Time Trial Championships, and Italian Fall Classics also goals for Fuglsang
25 year old, Jakob Fuglsang, was a major, but unsurprising loss to Bjarne Riis's Saxo Bank team at the end of the 2010 season. The announcement that he'd take a spot with the new Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project was hardly surprising, but it was only after his official signing for the Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project that things got interesting. The possibility of the three-time Tour of Denmark racing the Giro ahead of July's Tour de France was more than interesting - it was compelling.
Fuglsang has gone from U23 mountain bike World Champion to a major young talent capable of doing battle with the world's best in only three season. In his three seasons as a professional racer, the Dane has amassed victories in the Tour of Denmark (x3), the Tour of Slovenia, the Danish Time Trial Championships (2010), and a slew of top placings in the world's biggest races including 3rd overall at the Tour de Suisse (2010), 2nd at the Giro dell'Emilia, 6th overall at the Dauphine Libere, 6th overall at the Volta a Catalunya, along with an impressive run at the 2009 Vuelta a Espana, which included a second and two thirds in stages.
There's no question the Fuglsang is a Grand Tour contender for the future, the only question is when will that be. For 2011, there was talk that he'd be the Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project's leader for the year's first Grand Tour in Italy, but instead, it looks like both Fuglsang and the team are ready to put every bit of the squad's immense talent into victory at next July's Tour de France.
"It was talked about that I should race the Giro before the Tour, but now we have chosen to put together a program in which I only need to race the Tour, and I must be 100 percent there. The team decides this of course, because they want me at 100 percent. Therefore, I feel reasonably confident that I have a place, if everything goes as it should," said the young rider to feltet.dk.
With that goal, it seems that Fuglsang will adopt a very similar schedule to the one that has worked so well for the Schlecks: very little, the Ardennes Classics, some June-time prep race, and finally, the big dance, the Tour de France. Though the early part of his season will have a more relaxed focus, Fuglsang will be a major contender for success in the Ardennes, with seemingly, most of the rest of his Luxembourg teammates.
"In the first half, I will probably do Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the Amstel Gold Race, and Fleche Wallonne. Perhaps, I will focus on something earlier, but it depends on my form. The overriding goal for the season is of course the Tour."
Beyond The Tour De France
Fuglsang will likely be a key component if Andy Schleck is able to net his first outright Tour de France win. It's possible, that Schleck will start next year's Tour de France as the defending champion if Alberto Contador's positive at the 2009 Tour results in a suspension, but suspension or no suspension for the five-time Grand Tour winner, 2011 looks to be Andy Schleck's best chance at the Tour yet, and with the announcement of Fuglsang's schedule, there's no doubting where the team's focus is.
The real question remains whether Fuglsang will be able to pursue his own goals while giving everything for the Schleck Brothers. He has confessed to hoping for that in the past, but if one of the brothers slips into yellow, it seems highly unlikely that he'll get a chance to push through his own agenda. With that in mind, Fuglsang already has some other races in mind as opportunities to shine, and they're all at the end of the season, starting at home in Denmark.
"[The World Time Trial Championship] is also one of the goals for 2011. I would very much like to race it. I also understand that there are several riders who are also committed to it. There will probably be a little battle for the places, but I will do my best to get a spot and do a good result. I believe that I could do a good time trial if I go in 100% for it, and I'll put everything on it if I get a place, as it will be a big goal for me."
After that, Fuglsang hopes to achieve the glory that has thus far eluded him: victory in one of the Italian Fall Classics. In his two years with Bjarne Riis's Saxo Bank team, Fuglsang showed himself as a major contender for the year ending Classics with 4th at the Giro di Lombardia, 2nd at the GP Beghelli, and 2nd at the Giro dell'Emilia.
"Lombardia will still be a target for me. It is a race that I dream of winning. I think it is a fantastic race. The way the route has been laid out in recent years is particularly good for me. It's certainly a race that I will try again next year. I also think that it is consistent with being in shape for the World Championships - you just keep going for Lombardia and the other races in Italy. These are all races that are good for me. Emilia is a super cool race that I would also like to win one day."
The New Squad Becomes A Team
Ahead of all of the possibilities for both Fuglsang and his new team, there was that first team camp a few weeks ago at Crans Montana to kick things off. The bike was an after thought and becoming a team was of paramount importance.
"It was a camp to bring ourselves together and create unity, so we could know each other better. There were some meetings and practical things that needed to be handled, but otherwise, there was the possibility for us to ski and do various games. We also stayed in a ski lodge one night. It was a super camp, which made for a good base to form unity and get to know each other."
Unlike with most new teams, there was very little getting to know you necessary, as most of the new team looked a lot like the year before in Fuerteventura with Bjarne Riis's Saxo Bank team. With those that were new additions, Fuglsang found them to have been wisely chosen.
"The fact that we have some riders who know each other well is certainly useful. Riding with them in the first race, you will roughly know how things will operate. There are a lot of [former] Saxo Bank riders, but it's not just riders who switched. There are also soigneurs, mechanics, and other people. Otherwise, I think the team has done a good job finding riders that fit well into the team. It's all good people, so it'll probably go reasonably smoothly."