Interview Leonie Bentveld
This season, she won the World Cup in the Under-23s and also finished fifth in the elite category. As a 19-year-old, Leonie Bentveld was this Winter's revelation. The Dutch rider finished in the top 10 almost every week and even occasionally on the podium. This year, the Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal rider also wants to set steps forward on the road and in gravel. In this interview, she talks about the steps that she has set forward in her still young career and how she experienced last Winter.
You won the World Cup for Under-23s this year. What impact did this big win have on you?
Surely the World Cup was one of my goals. I had decided to ride all but Val Di Sole and then see how I could do in the final classification. This surprisingly turned out very well and, besides winning the U23 World Cup, I finished 5th among the Elites, which is perhaps even more impactful that winning the U23 classification. The World Cup proved that I performed very consistently throughout the season.
You grew up on Friesland. Was it tough making frequent long commutes to most races?
The long journeys combined with school were quite tough for me. We had to travel at least 600 km every weekend. Besides that, there were also no good training opportunities close to home which meant I had to travel a lot. I am very happy that I made the choice to move to Belgium and focus on the sport full-time now.
Where would you like to be in 5 years?
A tricky question. If you told my 14-year-old self where I am now 5 years later, I wouldn't believe it. So I'll try to keep growing like this and then we'll see.
Do you also have ambitions in other disciplines?
I do want to race more and more in the Summer, both on the road and on the gravel bike.
You took a nice bronze at the World Championships in the U23 category. Do you want to take gold next year or would you rather ride in the elite?
I wouldn't like to make the switch to the Elites too quickly. There is still plenty to gain among the U23s and to get on the podium in the Elite category at a World Championships you have to be really good at that level.
How will you spend the Spring and Summer?
After the race in Oostmalle I will put the bike aside for three weeks. Then I will leave for Spain to rebuild. At the end of April I'll start with some gravel races and then go back to road cycling.
What has been the biggest challenge for you in the sport so far?
I can't name anything like that easily. I love doing everything so I don't encounter many things that I don't like. I think last Summer was tough after weeks of struggling with my knee after a crash. I couldn't finish the training sessions the way I would like to and that was mentally tough.
Which kind of tracks do you enjoy doing the most?
I like courses that are a bit more technical. I like doing courses like Flamanville, Maasmechelen, Hulst and Troyes.
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