ProTeam Staff Stories - Sports Director Mario Aerts: "I did ten Tours myself. I know how difficult it is to win a stage, as I became second twice"
“This Tour de France we are here with four sports directors. I am responsible for a part of the logistics, which already started before the Tour, how to get everyone and everything here and the logistics during the three weeks. I also do some sportive tasks, together with Kurt Van de Wouwer, Marc Wauters and Dirk Demol. I make a daily plan for each stage and of course we decide the tactical plan after a course study. I also did a recon of some stages.”
“In the Tour there’s so much going on that we definitely need four sports directors. In the first car we are with two, but also in the second car. Someone needs to drive, follow Veloviewer, but you also need to watch your riders and talk with them. Meanwhile you get messages of the staff during the stage, so you really can’t combine all of it. When you’re with two in the car, you can also think together and share thoughts. After the race we have four opinions, which is always better than only one.”
“Until now it’s a bit the same story as the Tour of last year, also then we didn’t have a stage win. But I hope we still take one, we are doing well. Arnaud (De Lie) participated and did well in each sprint, except for yesterday. This is very good, as the flat sprints here are really hectic and Arnaud normally prefers harder sprints. Maxim (Van Gils) did well the first two days, and there are still chances coming for him.”
“I still see five chances for the team, as the other days are real mountain stages and a time trial. In the mountain stages there’s also a chance, but it will be more difficult if it’s a real GC battle there. We also have Harm (Vanhoucke) and the last days it will be all about what’s still left in the tank. We are in the second week of the Tour, it’s super important to talk with the riders. In this Tour Kurt takes this task. Some riders have a story to tell of their day, or sometimes they need some tips. It’s important, also towards the next day.”
“I know how difficult it is to ride the Tour, I did ten Tours myself as a rider. I came close to a stage win twice in 2002, so I know how difficult it is to take a stage victory. Both stages I became second was out of a breakaway, the first one was stage 15 with finish on Les deux Alpes where Santiago Botero was stronger. The other time was mountain stage 17, where we almost rode away immediately from the start with three. The whole day we stayed in the front, in the descent I tried to drop them and that worked but I crashed myself. They came back and then it was a sprint with three, in the last corner I crashed again and in the sprint I left the door open so I became second again.”
“The Tour is the most hardest grand tour, there’s a lot of pressure. I can still feel what the riders feel when they come on the bus after a stage. Last year during the Tour Maxim (Van Gils) said ‘I can’t go on anymore, I don’t have anything left in my legs.’ Then we told him to stay calm and he went in the attack, in a mountain stage. That are the ups and downs of the Tour, and the experience we have can help guide the riders.”
Pictures: PhotoNews & Brecht Steenhouwer