Belgian Grand Tour hope employing a personal trainer, mental coach, and training coach
There is no doubt where the ambitions of Jurgen Van Den Broeck, one of Belgium's brightest stars lies: the Tour de France. The 27 year old finished his first Tour de France with a more than respectable fifteenth place, then went ten better in 2010 to take fifth overall, behind only Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck, Denis Menchov, and Samuel Sanchez.
For Van Den Broeck, his goals are simple: at least fifth place next July. Following his breakout performance in France this past summer, he recognizes an important fact: the sacrifices and constant focus necessary for a rider who aspires to Grand Tour glory.
"What the last Tour taught me is that a Grand Tour rider needs more structure than a conventional racer. That's why I have more respect for Lance Armstrong than Tom Boonen."
With those words ringing as hard truths in the world of the Grand Tour racer, improvement upon last year's ride at Le Tour is tops on Van Den Broeck's goals for 2011.
"I shouldn't play dumb: I was fifth in 2010, so now I must aim higher. It is of course not a guarantee. Fifth place is difficult, and a podium finish is extremely difficult. But sport is always about doing better and aiming higher," said the rider from Herentals in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad.
At the moment, the Tour de France general classification from last July has a somewhat tenuous air to it though with Alberto Contador's clenbuterol positive hanging heavy over his third Tour de France victory. This isn't something that has escaped Van Den Broeck or the Belgian media - if Contador is disqualified, then he'll naturally (eventually) become the 4th overall finisher at the 2010 Tour. With a doping suspension the subsequent next step for Contador in that case, then fourth in 2011 should be more than reasonable, right?
Van Den Broeck laughs off the conjecture and raises the ante one higher when he repeats the rumor that Geox-TMC might not get a Wild Card invitation to next July's Grand Boucle: "And if Denis Menchov does not participate with Geox, then I'm third!
The pause for a joke sees 2010's 4th place overall finisher at the Criterium du Dauphine directly back to business - the possibility of a July sans Contador.
"Just kidding of course. Without Contador, it will be even harder to get on the podium. Without him, I think everyone in the top ten of last year's Tour could win. Myself as well."
A quick look back at the 2010 Tour de France top 10 - without Contador: Andy Schleck, Denis Menchov, Samuel Sanchez, Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Robert Gesink, Ryder Hesjedal, Joaquim Rodriguez, Roman Kreuziger, Chris Horner, and Luis Leon Sanchez.
Considering the developing nature of a lot of riders in that top ten, if not all of them, there's no doubting the truth in Van Den Broeck's words - a Tour without Contador will be a wide open gunfight. One team will enter the fray at the top of the heap, and Van Den Broeck is more than happy about that prospect. While he might not have the awe inspiring line up of a team like Leopard Trek, he does have some firepower on his side as well.
"The Schlecks will in that case become the team to control the race, not us. I myself am satisfied with the team: Gilbert can take extra pressure off and Greipel is more than a sprinter. He can keep anyone out of the wind and is also an asset in the team time trial."
With an improved team heading into July seemingly a resounding check on the laundry list of things to do before the Grand Depart, Van Den Broeck can focus on the things he can control to improve himself. Recently, he noted to the Gazet van Antwerpen, that this includes fresh attention on his time trialing.
"Where can I improve? Everything can be better. Accordingly, I am going to the wind tunnel of the McLaren F1 team at the end of January."
Indeed, Van Den Broeck's time trialing let him down in the critical final test against the clock at this year's Tour de France. A season of focus on the time trial bike will no doubt yield improvements, but that's not the only place the Belgian is looking to glean something extra from. He is also now employing three different 'trainers' - a mental coach, a personal trainer, and Omega Pharma-Lotto director, Herman Frison, as the man behind his training.
Van Den Broeck has no doubts about his focus and efforts to leave no stone unturned: "This is necessary."
For every Tour de France favorite, the big question right now is: what will the lead up to the main event look like?
Van Den Broeck has a focused attack on the docket in the coming six months: he'll start with the Ruta del Sol, then Paris-Nice, the Tour of the Basque Country, and then head for the Ardennes. His first race at home in Belgium in 2011 will be the Brabantse Pijl, which now acts as an Ardennes tune-up race, then it's into the Ardennes proper with the Amstel Gold Race, La Fleche Wallonne, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. The still winless in his professional career Van Den Broeck will then spend the next month training hard before returning to competition at the Criterium du Dauphine, and then of course, all that's left to do is the year's biggest race, the Tour de France.
The topic of Van Den Broeck's quiet win column is an interesting one. He spent his first few years as a professional quietly plying his trade, continually improving, and then quickly, in the span of three years, he became a real Grand Tour threat. His mature career and his best periods of form have been devoted to the sport's biggest races, where he has been slowly coming into his own. As he continues to improve, it seems highly unlikely that that elusive win can hold off much longer. The Belgian isn't too worried though, so long as he gets a win before he's done racing.
"To end my career without a victory would be a shame, but it should not be an obsession, because that requires too much energy."
He doesn't necessarily see a lot of chances for victory in 2011 though either.
"For the Tour, I'll do what I can. In the Classics, I will be there for Philippe Gilbert. I want to ride the finales with him and assist him if he needs me."
Stage victory at the Tour de France will only really be possible if he's one of the absolute best climbers, the best time trialist, or, if he loses a significant chunk of time and is allowed to get in a break. A stage win at the Tour will be a difficult route for that first win for Van Den Broeck. A stage at a race like the Vuelta al Pais Vasco or the Brabantse Pijl would seem a great possibility. It will be a surprise if one will be able to write 'the still winless Van Den Broeck' at the end of the 2011 season though.