On Wednesday, the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws reported that BORA-hansgrohe is working on bringing in Marc Lamberts, who has long been the personal coach of Primoz Roglic and Wout van Aert at Jumbo-Visma. The latter has confirmed the departure of his compatriot. “This is the end of an era,” Van Aert summarized.
Lamberts is expected to join Roglic at BORA-hansgrohe, although the German team has not yet made an official announcement. It is certain that Lamberts’ twelve-year collaboration with Wout van Aert will come to an end. “Marc has been my first and only coach. So it will be different in many ways. Personally, I think it’s a shame to have to change,” said the Jumbo-Visma cyclist in conversation with Het Laatste Nieuws.
“But Marc is in my heart. I want the best for him, and that’s why I understand he wants to seize this opportunity to do something new. The news of his departure hit me. We’ve been through a lot together. We’ll definitely stay in touch. I’m closing an era. It wasn’t my request to change; circumstances force me, but I have to deal with it positively and believe in a new beginning.”
New coach in the new team
Van Aert will, therefore, work with a new coach next year. Could this also result in something good? “I hope so. I hope and believe I can still improve. I’m 29 years old; these are probably my best years. I have to stay focused on all the details, and with all the knowledge this team has, I hope to take another step. It can be refreshing to step out of my comfort zone for the first time.”
Constant growth
“It may seem strange that I have this ambition, but every year, everyone in the peloton gets even better. If you stay at the same level for two years, the second year will certainly be lower because everyone around you has improved. If I want to remain competitive, I have to keep improving.”