Dutch national coach Moerenhout talks about African opportunities (and choices) for Van der Poel, the odd 2025 European Championship schedule, and more

Moerenhout ended 2024 with two medals: Olav Kooij took silver at the European Championships in Belgian Limburg, and Mathieu van der Poel, the 2023 world champion, ensured glory with a bronze at the World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland. The Dutch rider also made a big goal in the Olympic road race in Paris, but the Belgians beat him there, keeping him out of the medals.

"Of course, we are satisfied, but that doesn't mean we don't always aim for the top. After all, that is the goal. But you also have to be realistic enough. You have to deal with so much competition at this high level," Moerenhout gives his view on the results of the cycling orange in 2024. "We have achieved great results but cannot rest on our laurels."

"Most beautiful moment? You surprise me with that question... Mathieu's bronze medal at the World Championships on the road was nice on that course. We clashed with a great Tadej Pogacar," said the Dutch national coach. "Of course, the Olympics are great to experience. You don't realize it then, but with all those people and that experience on the Montmartre, you see great footage afterward."

"We did well in the European Championships but perhaps fell just a little short of Olav Kooij in the finals. That was unfortunate, but still congratulations to Olav for finishing second there," he cited that championship. At the European time trial championships, Daan Hoole finished fourth and Thymen Arensman fifth, which was satisfying.

"Daan has been in the time trial program for a long time, and you can still see him evolving in that discipline. You can see that in the results he achieves and the way he does it. It is not visible to everyone, but he is becoming more and more consistent and technically balanced. For me as a coach, but certainly for him, that is also good to see," he continues.

"Thymen hesitated to participate, but you also know he is potentially a good time trialist. He had not yet been to a championship, which differs from a big tour. With a fifth place on a course that wasn't written for him, you're still talking about a good result. And that also helps to make choices in the future," says the national coach.

Moerenhout is one of the coaches who has already gone to Africa to see the race in Rwanda up close. In early December, he flew to the country in eastern Africa with Anna van der Breggen (returning next year as a rider with SD Worx-Protime) and Wilbert Broekhuizen, technical director of the KNWU.

"I was positively surprised by Rwanda," the former Rabobank rider sounds satisfied. "At first, you mainly see the obstacles involved: the vaccinations, a long trip, the weather conditions, the hotels, the roads, and so on. But it was all good, so we were delighted."

"They cycle a lot there, but mainly as a means of transportation. They strap all kinds of things on the back of those bikes," laughs Moerenhout, who thus experienced a lot during the trip. "Rwanda is called the land of a thousand hills, and I can understand why. There isn't a meter flat. It will be a beautiful World Championship; I am not afraid. I don't expect any organizational problems."

So what can we expect from that circuit in the men's race exactly? "The roads are good. It's a compact World Championship but on a tricky lap. It includes a tough climb that starts from a golf course. Then there's another climb over cobblestones. There is no climb in that section that you would say a classic rider could not survive, but it is mainly the combination and the swift succession of climbs."

"There is also an extension loop with a six-kilometer climb. He continues by including the Wall of Kigali, which will provide fantastic images of those cobblestones. Still, some frame of reference may be missing for us in Europe, and even Moerenhout can't give us that. I find it hard to compare, especially with that tough climb in the course. That gives the race a different character because a peloton can be broken up there."

"Eventually, you end up with more than five thousand meters of elevation, which will always weigh on you. That's a thousand more than in Zurich, but the riders make the race in the end. Although, of course, the climbers are at an advantage," Moerenhout knows. "I can imagine it has a crippling effect on some riders when Pogacar is competing, but you never know what will happen on the day. Last year, everything he touched turned to gold, but that can also be just a little different. On such a course as in Rwanda, he is the top favorite, no matter what."

Enter Mathieu van der Poel? "It's not impossible for a good classical rider, but the most important thing is that he sees it for himself. In combination with all the other things he does in one year. If he wants to go to Rwanda, he must make some choices. It is a course where he will not be the top favorite, but the ball has to fall in the right direction."

Moerenhout expects enthusiasm from the Dutch riders anyway. "I think there will be interest. It is the first World Championship in Africa, and the calendar may not help completely, but it will be a unique experience. The advantage is that there is no time difference and the climate is not too bad, but you also have vaccinations and the altitude."

And it costs money. A lot of money. "It will be an expensive trip, that is obvious. Everything has to be airlifted there, so that's different from doing it within Europe. With the equipment and everything, it adds up.' And that has possible consequences for the younger participants in the U23 and juniors. 'Heading into next year's World Championships, it's a shame that various countries have to see if they can go with a full group. If that comes at the expense of the juniors and U23, that's not a good thing. That is not exclusively a Dutch problem because every country will face challenges here."'

Right after the World Championships, assignment two of 2025 is already on the cards. "It's a pretty bizarre schedule," Moerenhout shakes his head. "September 28 is the men's road race at the World Championships, and then October 1 is the time trial at the European Championships. That's tough but mostly special. Especially with that plane trip added to it. That requires a tight schedule, so it's a tough combination."

"I haven't been to the location of the European Championships yet, but I already have some information about it. Officially, not much is known yet, but that too seems to be a tough race. Not as tough as the World Championships, but according to my information, that won't be an easy race either," he gives us a hint of what to expect in France.

Moerenhout will experience it all again in 2025 and 2026, 2027 and 2028. Indeed, this year, he signed a new commitment with the KNWU. "I didn't have to think about that for very long. I especially like the combination of training riders with what I do at Hagens Berman Jayco. It is easy to do and complements each other, so it works well. On the one hand, I think it is great to work with young riders, but on the other hand, those top events with our generation of riders are also fantastic," concludes the motivated national coach.