Contador wary of Jurgen Van den Broeck
Belgian contender Jurgen Van den Broeck, 27, stands in 10th place in the 2010 Tour de France, just behind last year’s Tour winner Alberto Contador, as of stage four.
“If he can still improve a little, he will join the fight amongst the top riders," said two-time victor Contador.
Van den Broeck is currently the leading Belgian in the Tour, with Belgium having won the second-highest number of Tours that is an important distinction. Belgium took the only podium spot not taken by France in the first five years, and took the first non-French victory in 1912 at the tenth Tour and maintained a first-place streak for seven years.
Belgium sent two teams to the 2010 Tour de France and Van den Broeck is the leader of Team Omega Pharma-Lotto, after the departure of previous leader Cadel Evans, who now stands in third place overall in the Tour.
After a disappointing team effort at the 2009 Tour de France, the team plans to lift its best performer with the help of a dedicated team that will delivering him through the Alps in the first week. His debut at the Tour, Van den Broeck managed to climb the Alps with the leading contenders, for an impressive debut placement of 15th overall and a 9th stage placement winning him the polka dot jersey.
His fourth-place finish at the Dauphiné Libéré this year has boosted his confidence in his climbing skills, and things seem to be going to plan.
“The test succeeded,” he told La Derniere Heure. “I had no ambitions for the general classification, but I could follow the best riders on the cols. I gained great confidence in the Alps. I'm ready for the Tour.”
He ended the race three minutes and 46 seconds behind the leader and achieved a fifth-place finish at the top of Alpe d’Huez. It was a clear improvement over his 29th place finish in the same race last year, when he rode in support of Cadel Evans. Since the jump, he hopes to play a bigger part in this year’s Tour de France.
Van den Broeck finished the Dauphine 2:05 behind defending Tour champion. Contador thinks there is a chance Van den Broeck's climbing abilities could end up rivaling his in the mountains.
“I really think that Jurgen can surprise in regards to the spectacle in the cols,” he said.
Van den Broeck specializes in time trials. He was the Junior World Time Trial Champion and showed promise in minor stage races, before proving himself with a seventh place overall in the 2008 Giro d'Italia. While he may not have performed as outstandingly as a top contender, he comes with a strong and dedicated team that will help him seek the win.
The Belgian took over his Team leadership after British rider Evans lost his form due to illness. He was the leading Belgian in the 2009 Tour, an accomplishment he is actively duplicating and there is a narrow hope that he could be the first winner Belgian winner in over thirty years.
He’s been preparing for that goal all season, achieving second overall in the Vuelta a Andalucia and tenth in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. He finished in the top 20 of the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, proving that he is developing into a solid all-rounder.
The Belgian means to keep his upward trajectory, building his form for the key stages on the Tour. He is confident in his progress, and plans to show in the coming stage that he has done things right.
“My performance in the Dauphine is the result of targeted training work,” he said. “I'm looking forward to the cols.”
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