Jurgen Van Den Broeck eager to improve on 2010 season
Belgian rider Jurgen Van Den Broeck is out to prove that he can sustain the strong form he showed during the 2010 season for at least another year.
Van Den Broeck, who rides for Omega Pharma-Lotto, has improved steadily since he joined Geert Coeman's team in 2006.
After finishing seventh in the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the Belgian came 15th in last year's Tour de France, a race in which he exceeded all expectations this year by finishing only two places short of the
podium in 2010.
"Most people thought I was setting the bar too high before the Tour when I said I was aiming for the top 10," Van Den Broeck told Belgian daily
Het Nieuwsblad. "But when you arrive in Paris in fifth place, you’re looked on differently."
The 27-year-old, who also finished fourth in the Criterium du Daphine in June, added that he wanted to prove his consistency in 2011.
"This is only the beginning. I need to show character and continue to prove that it was no fluke," Van Den Broeck explained. "I’m still only 27. There are those who are already at their maximum at that
age and there are those who improve. I think I learn from my mistakes."
Healthier lifestyle helps
In the past two years, Van Den Broeck has been more disciplined during cycling's off-season, focusing on maintaining his weight and leading a healthy lifestyle, choices that contrast with his former habits.
"In 2008 I didn't watch myself at all. I ate, drank and partied. I was as fat as a pig at home. I put on about seven kilos. Now I’m staying very calm, barely tasting beer."
The Belgian, who is sure to have the 2011 Tour in mind as he prepares for next season, added that next year's route could spell trouble for the peloton, particularly in the opening stages of the race.
"The first week of the Tour is full of annoying rides, starting with the Passage du Gois. You could fall off there and lose the race. But the Tour remains an obsession. I still don’t know how high I can
finish."
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