TakeWorlds4 weeks ago
Demi Vollering leads a Dutch women's squad that still has six riders in the UCI top-15 worldwide, four more than any other nation. The federation is consolidating around one leader anyway, because depth stopped being the advantage it used to be.
Mathieu van der Poel gets the same treatment on the men's side, with Koos Moerenhout saying plainly: «With Mathieu as leader you simply ride there to win.» The Dutch used to win by fielding a roster full of potential winners; now, as Laurens ten Dam frames it, the job is bringing individual quality together behind one name. That's an admission, not a preference — other nations have closed the gap, and a team of leaders without a plan no longer beats a team with one.
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