COACH’S CORNER

What I really like about Henri is his relaxed way of doing this sport. He always keeps his feet on the ground, he is not arrogant and he works in a really good way with his team-mates, with the staff and with the coaches. That’s a big compliment to Henri. This guy is taking things step by step and not thinking too much about being the perfect rider. He wants to learn in order to go to the top in the WorldTour. Last year when he rode in the Ronde de l’Isard and the Tour de Savoie he looked good, and also at the Baby Giro, so we made contact with him. First he made the step up to the development team and then he’ll progress to the WorldTour team, so it is all about his progression. I think he’s ready for the WorldTour team, and he is ready to come out of the shadows, but it is smart for him to wait. He is not an aggressive guy in the team. Guys are often really loud and aggressive, but that’s not Henri, and that’s something he has to learn, if he is going to be a leader in the WorldTour team for example. You need more leadership skills for this, and for me that’s the most important thing. He will do more than just general classification - he is also someone who can do the Ardennes Classics. I hope he just gets experience in his first two years. We were really pleased with all the guys at the Baby Giro, and it was great to see Henri. He did really well and he stepped up at the right moments.