Interview Jordi Meeus

In his first season as a World Tour rider he already sprinted among the best in his first grand tour. Bora-Hansgrohe gave him a chance as one of their main sprinters and he didn't dissapoint. He took his first victory of the season in the Tour of Hungary and continued with many close results after, finishing the season on a high with another victory. Jordi Meeus doesn't know his limits yet and he's ambitious to be fast on the cobbles one day too. The 23 years old Belgian tells in this interview how he experienced this season himself.

 

In your first full year as a pro you took already your first victory of the season in the Tour of Hungary, how did this win feel to you?

In general I think it was a great first season with BORA - hansgrohe for me. Especially as a sprinter you always aim for victories. It was a special feeling to take my first win for BORA - hansgrohe, but also gave me a lot of self believe to get more and bigger wins.

In the Vuelta you showed yourself as a reliable sprinter, how did you experience your first grand tour?

Well, I think I showed that I am already competitive also on that level, but we did some small mistakes in the lead-out and unfortunately I wasn’t able to grab a win there. In general it was a very good experience and it put me on the next performance level. You are a different rider after your first Grand Tour.

How would you summarize your first season as a pro?

As I said, I am very happy. I did a lot of races and especially on that new level this a quite a heavy load for your body. But I responded well, developed throughout the year and also took some nice wins. There is nothing to complain about.

What are your future ambitions?

Most important is to keep improving. But besides my sprint I also like to prove myself in some of the Belgian Classics. I think I can be a type of rider that can play a role there at some point.

You're having a winter break now, how do you build up to the new season?

More or less it’s the normal preparation. We have some small camps with the team for fittings and medical checks. In January we will have a bigger camp together in Spain. It depends on the weather if I maybe go to the south on my own also. But in general there is nothing special.

Sagan and Ackermann are leaving the team, Bennett joins on the other hand. Does it mean that you move up one rank in the sprint hierarchy of the team?

I think in general that after my first season as a pro I am ready to take the next step and the team also knows what to expect from me and that they can rely on my capabilities. We are three strong sprinters in the team with Sam, Matt, who took his first wins last year, and myself. That is a very comfortable position for BORA - hansgrohe but there are enough races for all of us to prove our selfs. In the end it is in my hand to show my strength in results.

Which grand tour would you like to ride in 2022?

That is not decided yet. Our sports performance group is working on the race calendar and individual schedules for riders now. We will see, but I am ready and motivated to go.

Who inspired you to start competitive cycling?

Like a lot of pros in my age, Tom Boonen inspired me a lot. He was a great champion, fast in the sprints but also strong in the Classics. He always impressed me a lot.