"Andreas and I are used to some rain": how Van Gils and Kron kept warm with a smart move in Flèche Wallonne

Maxim Van Gils was among the least surprising names to reach the podium in La Flèche Wallonne, alongside Kévin Vauquelin and Stephen Williams. This Walloon classic was hit by near-apocalyptic weather that sidelined many favorites, but it was in these conditions that strong riders like Van Gils and his teammate Andreas Kron excelled. They are targeting more success at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and shared their plans at a Lotto Dstny press conference before the final spring classic. IDLProCycling.com, of course, was there!

Looking back at Wednesday: what crazy weather it was! Should the race have been neutralized?

Kron: "Yes, those were extreme conditions, but that's part of racing sometimes. It's good some days, not so good others. There weren't any major incidents, so racing was fine. Everyone has probably seen the video of Mattias Skjelmose (fellow countryman, ed.), but he's okay now. He just wasn’t dressed warmly enough, which can lead to getting cold. But it wasn't dangerous. We could see the bad weather coming from a distance, and we were prepared. Before the rain started, we had already put on our rain jackets, and that really made a difference for us."

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Van Gils: "For those riders who got into their cars and quit, it was probably worse than for us who kept riding and stayed somewhat warmer. That's why I really have to credit our team. They knew it was going to rain in advance. That's why we had already had a teammate fetch our rain jackets during the race. I tucked mine in front of my stomach. And as soon as we saw the clouds, even before it started to rain, we put our jackets on. That kept us dry for about an hour. I also had thick gloves; unfortunately, Andreas didn’t. He requested them several times over the radio, but the race was so intense that they never got to him. But that gave us a major advantage over the rest. Plus: I'm from Belgium and Andreas from Denmark, so we are quite accustomed to cold and rain. I was definitely cold, but I never became hypothermic or froze. After a warm shower, a quick dip in the whirlpool, and a session in the sauna, I felt nothing of the cold anymore."

Did you guys, like the Uno-X Mobility riders, enjoy ice cream as dessert?

Van Gils: "No, we had orange cake for dessert. I saw it on 'X' today too. Thomas De Gendt (his teammate, ed.) was curious about what they had eaten. It’s a bit unfortunate they chose a popsicle instead of real ice cream."

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What are your goals for Sunday? Are you planning to adopt an aggressive strategy again, or will you adjust your tactics based on how the race develops?

Kron: "It really depends on the flow of the race, but the weather conditions, which might be similar to Wednesday's, will also play a part. We'll need to wait and see and play our cards accordingly."

Van Gils: "Our primary aim is to reach the (pre)final. The race broke open early at the Cote de Wanne last year, and I anticipate it will start early this year as well. That's when many domestiques will fall back, leaving a group of favorites. Winning is challenging in such a large race, but we're determined. I expect an early breakaway, similar to last year, which could quickly thin out the field of domestiques. That might be an opportunity for either me or Andreas (Kron, ed.) to join a breakaway group and get ahead of the major moves on La Redoute. The stretch before La Redoute faces a headwind, which slows things down, but if you manage to get ahead and they start chasing you down on La Redoute, you’ll be at the summit with the leaders."

Daan De Wever, CEO of Dstny, mentioned that perhaps you shouldn’t focus too much on Mathieu van der Poel and instead race your own race. What’s your take on that remark?

Van Gils: "I haven’t actually heard that comment. However, the Amstel Gold Race is a different beast compared to Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In Liège, there’s no need to focus too much on Mathieu, whereas in the Amstel it made sense to keep an eye on him given his performances in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. It was expected that he would make a significant move at least once, but it didn’t happen. Still, if Mathieu breaks away and we aren't with him, then obviously that’s not ideal."