Naesen defends Vermeersch criticism: “You don’t have to apologise for riding with the god of cycling”

Decathlon–CMA CGM were somewhat surprisingly one of the strongest blocks over the weekend. Tobias Lund Andresen finished in the top ten twice, while in particular at Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, the team’s blue-and-green colours were repeatedly represented in attacks. Naesen himself was also very happy with both his own form and the way the team raced.

“I got cut off by someone from Uno-X and shouted, ‘Idiot!’ at him. Then Mathieu comes alongside me, totally relaxed, and says: ‘Maybe he’s just like that, eh.’ After that I said in my earpiece that Mathieu was going to win the race,” Naesen laughed in the podcast. “If you’re that relaxed while everyone around you is suffering, then you’ve definitely got something left,” he thought after hearing the Dutchman’s remark. (Van der Poel went on to win in style in his Omloop debut.)

Naesen also wanted to address the criticism that followed the way compatriot Florian Vermeersch raced. “Florian is a fantastic rider, but he’s not going to win ten Classics. And if, after a podium, you have to apologise to the crowd because you rode with the god of cycling — that makes no sense!”

The Belgian continued: “He should just be proud of how he rode, and that he was able to stay in it for so long. If at the end of your career you can look back on a number of Classics podiums, you can be very satisfied.” Naesen speaks from experience: during his career he has already stood on the podium in races including Gent–Wevelgem, the E3 Saxo Classic and Milano–Sanremo.