For the fourth entry in the Up-and-comer Q&A Series, VeloHuman talked to Belkin’s Nick van der Lijke. Nick is only 22 years old, and was just 21 when Belkin offered him a spot on their team after a very successful 2013 campaign that saw him win the Beverbeek Classic and Kreiz Breizh Elites. He started his 2014 campaign at the Vuelta a Andalucía and then raced in a number of one-day events, including the Dwars door Vlaanderen and Scheldeprijs, before a busy May and June with starts in the Tour of Turkey, the Tour of California, the Critérium du Dauphiné (his first WorldTour event), and the World Ports Classic. A day after competing in the Dutch National Championship Road Race, he talked to VH about his season, what he has learned so far, and his goals for the future.

VH: Nick, I have to start by asking about the Dutch Championship race on Sunday. You attacked very early in the race. I’m wondering: were you just trying to get home as fast as possible to watch the World Cup game against Mexico?

NvdL: Of course! (Nick laughs). No, no, I thought it was the best chance for me, because we had some big riders waiting until the end, and there were some riders going for the break, and I was one of them, so I tried to get into the break and I succeeded. I think it was a good opportunity, but I hoped that Garmin would also join the breakaway and they didn’t—so it was a little bit too hard to stay until the end.

VH: You did stay out front for quite a while, though, and it seems that that is a target of yours this season, getting into those breakaways. That was something that Belkin had talked about for the Tour of California earlier this month as well. Now that you’re at the top level, riding against these top teams, how hard it is to get into the breakaways?

NvdL: It’s much different from last year. . . . It’s harder, everyone can ride the bike very well. It’s much harder than last year. Last year, you just had to be strong at the right moment and then you’re in the breakaway, but this year it’s different. I was really happy that yesterday I succeeded getting into the breakaway. I think it’s nice for the upcoming races.

VH: Do you enjoy the challenge of getting into the breakaway and then spending a hard day out front?

NvdL: Yeah. And also you’re getting stronger, being in the breakaway. Sometimes you just have to get stronger and stronger. . . . When you are stronger you can wait till the end, but right now I have to take the chances and be in the breakaway, and maybe with a little bit of luck, stay in the front.

VH: You had a great 2013 with the Rabobank Development team. You won your first race of the year, the Beverbeek Classic, and notched a collection of other victories and strong results, including Top 10s at the Under 23 versions of Flanders and Paris-Tours. What was your first thought when you realized that you would be making that jump up from a Continental Team to the WorldTour with Belkin?

NvdL: Well, for a long time it was a little bit hard: I had the results, but in June I hadn’t heard anything from any team, so I was a little bit scared. It was at the time that Euskaltel stopped, and some other teams stopped, so it became harder and harder. So I was really happy when Belkin called, and also, it was after Kreiz Breizh, which I’d won, so I was really happy. But starting was really hard, I did not have the perfect winter. In January, I had to go easy for two weeks with training, so it was a little bit hard at the start of the season. But now after California I’m getting better and better, I think. From now it’s just getting better and better, hopefully without any more problems with the body.

VH: When you first arrived at Belkin, did the team give you a sense of what your role would be in your first year?

NvdL: Yeah, just learning and getting stronger. But also, they said they would give me the opportunity to find the specialty for me, because uphill I’m good, and on the flat I’m good, and in the sprint I’m good, and . . . though it’s a little bit hard for me at the moment, I think I have found a little bit of a specialty which I can get better at in the winter, so that could be easier for the next few years.

VH: You’ve also been doing a fair bit of a leadout work, and that seems to be going well. Theo Bos, Barry Markus, and Moreno Hofland have all gotten some strong results with you involved in the leadout train. Are you getting comfortable with that role as well?

NvdL: Yeah, it’s a much different role . . . but in the first part of the season I think it was better for me because the races were less hard and because I was not in really good shape. So I think it was better for me to get stronger and get used to the level.

VH: You rode on the Rabobank Development Team with a number of your current teammates, including Hofland and Markus and Wilco Kelderman. What’s it like being together again at this level? Did you all expect to be here together at some point?

NvdL: We talked about it when we were Juniors and U23. It’s a little bit funny that we’re riding with each other now. It’s nice, and I know them very well and they know me, so you know what you’ve got with each other.

VH: The Critérium du Dauphiné in June was your first WorldTour race. Can you talk about how that compared to races you’d done in the past?

NvdL: The first stage I had some stomach issues. It was much harder than I expected but the first days were really hard. I thought, “Uh . . . what’s this?” But I think the last four days were getting better and better, and the last two days were really good. I could give the best of myself for Wilco.

VH: What does your racing calendar look like going forward?

NvdL: I don’t know yet. I think maybe after next week, I’ll have a race program for the next two months. But for now, till July 20th, I have nothing on the program, so first I have a little bit of vacation, and then just easy training and then back to hard training.

VH: Are you going anywhere for vacation?

NvdL: Yeah, I’m going with my girlfriend to Germany.

VH: Great!

NvdL: Yeah, it’s really nice. I look forward to it.

VH: Do you have any specific goals for the rest of this season?

NvdL: I think there will be some one-day races. I hope, and I always thought, that Canada, Quebec and Montreal, that circuit . . . maybe . . . I’ll be good at it. . . . I really like that circuit.

VH: One of the biggest stories of the past few weeks has been the news of Belkin’s departure from the sponsorship role coming sooner than expected. How are you handling the sponsorship uncertainty?

NvdL: Yeah, I didn’t expect it. So I thought, “Oh Belkin stopped? I thought they were also in for next year . . .” But then I read the article . . . and I thought “Ugh, another problem.” After last year it was really hard to find a sponsor, and now it’s getting much harder I think, but the team says it’s looking good and that, probably, we will find a sponsor. Otherwise I have to look for other teams. I have different feelings about it. It’s nice to have a two-year contract but you want to be in a team and you want to keep together. You want to ride the next year with them and to get nice results and good team performances.

VH: One last question. You have a very broad skillset, as you mentioned earlier, good on the hills, good on the flats. You said that the team wanted to give you a chance to find your specialty; now that you’re progressing through the season, have you started to figure out what sorts of races you’re targeting in the future in your career?

NvdL: Yeah, I think not the Grand Tour races but the six- and seven-day races, like California. Those races are, I think, perfect for me. Hopefully I’m getting stronger uphill also, so maybe in the next few years I could do something also in the GC, that would be really nice of course, but going for stage wins is the first target for me.

Nick is hoping that the improved form he saw in June continues to translate into better and better results for the rest of the season. While his teammates take on the Tour de France, he will look to perfect that form with some extended training time over the next few weeks. Belkin’s sponsorship status will be of particular importance to the trajectory of his career, as he is one of the few riders on his team signed on for multiple years. However, with the sort of ability that caught Belkin’s eye in the first place and a clear desire to use every race as an opportunity to get stronger, he is well-positioned for success, whatever happens.

-Dane Cash

Photo by Naoto Sato.