Development Duarte Marivoet heads to Tour de L’Avenir with confidence: “A great opportunity to show myself”
Since winning the Belgian title in Huldenberg, Marivoet has clearly been enjoying his best period of the season. “I feel super good. Since the Belgian Championships, I’ve been living on a bit of a high, and that came at a good time after a difficult period.” After his collarbone fracture and illness, the 21-year-old Belgian has been able to put together a solid period of training again. “For the past month and a half, I’ve finally been able to do everything perfectly again. I can really feel the difference physically, and that also makes things a lot easier mentally.”
The Belgian tricolour adds an extra dimension to his participation in the Tour de L’Avenir. “It’s very special to be able to wear it, especially in such a big race. I’m really going to do my best to do the jersey justice, and it’s also a great opportunity to show what I’m capable of at the highest level.”
Several strengths
Lotto-Groupe Wanty heads to France with a versatile selection and, according to Marivoet, can aim for success in several different ways. He sees opportunities for the fast riders in particular during the opening stages. “I think we can really score with our two sprinters, Mathias (De Keersmaeker) and Keije (Solen). The level is obviously very high. That may still be a bit of a question mark, but I have every confidence in them.”
The sprint stages offer opportunities, but the team also has several other options. “If we can get Tars (Poelvoorde) into the breakaway, he has a really good chance of finishing it off. Mauro (Cuylits) has also already shown that he is in good shape.” Marivoet himself sees opportunities once the race becomes tougher. “With the form I have now, I should also be capable of doing something. Still, I think Niels (Driesen) will have better opportunities in the real mountain stages.”
One of the moments Marivoet is particularly looking forward to is the individual time trial. “It’s a pure uphill time trial against the climbers. It will be extremely difficult, but I’m really looking forward to it. It’s definitely one of the days when I want to be at my best and see where I stand compared to the world’s best.”
A prestigious race
For Marivoet, the Tour de L’Avenir and Giro Next Gen are among the most important stage races of the season for U23 riders. “In terms of prestige, they are definitely the most prestigious stage races of the year. In my mind, the Giro has become a little more prominent in recent years. I think they are currently more or less on the same level, but for the wider public, the Tour de L’Avenir may be even better known. That alone is a reason why we really want to show ourselves here as a team,” an ambitious Marivoet concludes.
Photo: Xavier Heuts
