Cycling name?
Neo.
Why do you ride your bike?
The therapeutic effect of being in nature without any of life’s distractions. The unexplainable desire for suffering and the rewarding feeling associated with it. The cycling community.
Favourite place to ride?
Any places that offers good roads, nice weather and little traffic is great. Add beautiful nature and long, steady climbs and it’s perfect. Nearby I love Surrey. A little further away the Dolomites are paradise.
Up or down mountains?
That’s a hard one. I love long climbs up to 6, 7%, when it’s just you and the mountain. Life stands still. I love fast descents where you do not have to touch your breaks, sliding through corners, the adrenaline rush.
Best moments?
Finishing the Maratona dles Dolomites in 2017. 140km, 4000m+ elevation. The atmosphere in the area in the days leading up to the event. The incredible organisation. The perfect weather. I cannot imagine a better event.Although crashing the first time I met the B’s, this was actually a surprisingly good experience. People helped me up and took care of me, so that I wanted to get back on the bike right away. And I did, after I had the okay from Lowell and the team. I suffered a couple of weeks of pain in my right hip, but it didn’t stop me running my first half marathon in May 2018 a couple of weeks later. I also was now determined more than ever to improve my bike skills.
How long does it take you to change a flat?
Too long, because I don’t practice it enough. This reminds me to spend an evening on a drill where I change one 10 times in a row!
Advice to a new cyclist?
Focus on having fun first! Only start thinking about optimizing for performance after at least a year of having.
Steel, Carbon or Ti?
I cannot really compare. I ride carbon, but I’ve heard many people say how comfortable alu and steel frames are.
Grand tours or Classics?
Classics. I’m from Flanders, we live for this! But I also love the Grand Tours, especially the Tour de France.
Gels or potatoes?
Heh? Gels I guess? Gels.
Fav pro, or retired pro?
Tom Boonen
Headwind or rain?
That’s tough, there’s so many extra variables here, for the sake of brevity I’ll just stick with headwind. 🙂
Discs or rims?
Disc! I ride with rims but after experiencing disc on a loaner bike, I’m sold and my next bike will have them.
I wish I had been told that…
Getting up at 5am to ride laps around the park is so much better than it sounds.
What is it like being a Baroudeur? (not a trick question)
The Bs are all strong and motivated cyclists that love to suffer. Suffering pushes everyone to the next level to become a better cyclist.
Advice to someone wanting to join the Baroudeurs?
Suffering together builds a tight community where real friendships are built.
What does your cycling future hold?
As my running season just concluded with the London marathon, I’ll be shifting my focus to cycling again for the summer. To motivate myself I try to find events like Gran Fondos to aim for. I haven’t decided on which ones to ride this year.
GC predictions
I fear Froome will be back for revenge.
:: Meet more of the Baroudeurs
