Romain Bardet and Frank van den Broek were the protagonists of the opening stage of this year – their joint story had an unclear ending until the last moment. Even ČT Sport experts could not agree during the broadcast. While René Andrle trusted the pair of refugees, Leopold König was more skeptical. In the end, the current sports director of the Israel-Premier Tech team was right.
Pavel Bittner is especially familiar with the Dutchman van den Broek, who until a year ago only raced for a local cycling club and who for a long time believed that his future would lie in the path of an IT specialist, not a bicycle racer. This year, they completed, for example, the Round of Hungary race or the classic general race for the yellow race, i.e. the Tour de Suisse.
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Pavel Bittner about the success of his colleagues and plans for the Vuelta
“I believed in them, of course. But they were incredibly nervous. I knew that the last eighteen kilometers would be long for them. But they managed it incredibly,” assessed the Czech cyclist, who has already ridden the famous classics Milan-Sanremo, Kolem Flander in his career or Paris–Roubaix. His biggest success this year is second place in a stage at the Tour of Norway race.
“Frank’s story is unique, last year he didn’t even ride in the continental team. Our stable managed to sign him to the farm and this year he is already riding in the first team. It’s an unreal trajectory, almost like from the realm of dreams,” describes the career of the twenty-three-year-old Dutchman, who his performance on Saturday also received the prize for the greatest fighter of the stage.
He helped Bardet, a decade older, until his last moments, despite the fact that he himself spent the entire stage on the run. The French legend then celebrated his first career yellow jersey at the finish line. “He is a huge personality, a very friendly person. He is one of the legends of French cycling and it will be a great shame that he will end up in the professional peloton after the season. We will be sorry,” he says.
Pavel Bittner:
“It’s a new position for us now. But there’s nothing to solve. With the yellow jersey, we have to be in front, that’s the rule. So far it’s been very nice from us.”
Frank van den Broek and Romain Bardet
source: Reuters
And what are his own plans? In an interview during the ČT broadcast of the Tour de France, Bittner confirmed that he will most likely make his debut at the three-week race this year. In the colors of the dsm-Firmenich PostNL team, he should complete the Spanish Vuelta, which is also planned by his generation companion Mathias Vacek.
“I think I will appear at the Grand Tour this year. I can’t say exactly yet, but most likely I should appear at the Vuelta. That is my goal in the next part of the season,” revealed the twenty-one-year-old native of Hané. Vacek also has the same plan as him, who, in addition to the Vuelta, will also ride the Olympic race in Paris.
“I’m really looking forward to it. Mathias and I have been racing for maybe twelve years, every season. I’m not even counting it. To see each other at such an event would be truly divine,” says Bittner, whose teammates are currently at the top of this year’s Tour de France.