Will we finally see Staune-Mittet shine in the Vuelta as he did at Visma | Lease a Bike?

At the end of 2024, Staune-Mittet surprisingly chose to end his contract with the Dutch team and moved to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. The French team had (and still has) big plans for the climbing talent, and one day before the start of the Vuelta, Staune-Mittet reiterated that he is happy with his choice at the time. “I feel really good with this team. I immediately felt that this was a good choice, given the new people and the change of team. The team really believes in me and wants to give me the best possible opportunities to see where we can go.”

This will happen gradually, with major WorldTour stage races immediately on his schedule. “Together we are doing everything we can and hoping for the best. I know the goal I want to achieve, but I'm unsure if it's possible. You get up every day, work hard, and then it has to fall into place. That lifestyle and that process are actually very effortless,” he said calmly. “Now I'm especially curious about a Grand Tour, a format that should suit me. I'm not afraid of anything, I'm just looking forward to it.”

Many may not have known this, but Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale's plan was actually to send Staune-Mittet to the Tour de France after a spring season that included the Ruta del Sol, Tirreno, Catalonia, and Romandy. “The plan was not to be here in the Vuelta at all, but due to a crash on the final day of a training camp in June, I missed the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de France. That changed the plans. Of course, it was disappointing at the time, because I had prepared myself well. But apparently it was not meant to be that I would do the Tour, and in the end that was fine.”

Because while Tadej Pogacar and co were pulling each other apart in the Tour, Staune-Mittet suddenly found himself in America. "Missing the Tour gave me the freedom to go to America in the summer and still have a good summer. I've been in Colorado, where a friend of mine lives and attends school. I had wanted to visit him in November, but now I was able to. It was truly something else, completely different, yet sensational - the best thing I've ever done. The training sessions were quite different due to the high altitude, but it was a valuable experience. It also gave me a lot of perspective on my training sessions at sea level at home."

For Staune-Mittet, it was a last-minute decision. "I hadn't booked a summer vacation yet, so when the team permitted me, I went for it. I'm not sure why it was so unique. First of all, I had never been to America before, and the Americans I know personally are all very nice people. Almost all of them are from Colorado, for whatever reason. It's also where Sepp Kuss went to school, so I really wanted to get to know that region."

After he visited the U.S., Staune-Mittet returned to Europe for the Tour of Poland. "But I didn't really know what to expect. As a preparatory race, twelfth place in the final classification was very encouraging ahead of the Vuelta. It's my first Grand Tour, so my ambitions remain the same as they were in the Tour: to gain experience, enjoy the step into the unknown, and get the most out of myself, as always. Felix (Gall, ed.) is our leader, and I want to support him as best I can. However, the Vuelta is also a bit smaller than the Tour, a little more relaxed, and that may offer opportunities to gain a bit more freedom.

“The Vuelta has often been the scene of the emergence of great talents, but Staune-Mittet does not want to put pressure on himself. ”First and foremost, I want to finish the race, get the most out of myself, support the team, and if an opportunity arises to do something, I want to go for it. I'm not going for a classification anyway, I'm mainly going to discover it all. What do my feelings and Wahoo say about my form? The air in Poland and here is a lot thicker than in Colorado, and dense air feels good. I think I'm in good shape, just like Felix. We don't have anything to worry about, and we're going for the best possible result in the classification. I don't dare to put a number on it, but Felix is in good shape and we can have high expectations of him. A stage win is also a realistic goal."

Bram van der Ploeg ( Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])