ROY CURVERS

COACH, TEAM DSM DEVELOPMENT

We’re trying to get riders to be the best they can be, which means working together with them on all kind of aspects to try and get them to make the next step in cycling. Sometimes we have to have difficult talks, but in the end if you see how Leo’s progression is, those are the things we find rewards in. It is a good reward for the investments that have been made on all sides. At the end of this season it all fell into place, and then it looked like it was really easy. His qualities are that he can basically do everything. A rider’s development years are for finding out what he will really be good at. It’s all about getting to explore his possibilities, and he’s in the middle of that. If you look at the wins he had this year, that’s three different things that he won. You can’t put the most interesting riders in a box. Leo has a strong time trial, he can climb a bit, he has a punch in his legs to make the difference on a smaller hill, and he can defend a gap. His physical arsenal has some strong cards. Where that will eventually lead him is going to be interesting. The one thing we know is that he won’t win bunch sprints, but the rest is still open. He still has two years at under-23 and years after that, so he should feel like he has time. He does not need to rush anything.