Tom Gloag has been part of WorldTour team Jumbo-Visma for two weeks. In just a few days, he’ll race in the famous yellow and black jersey for the first time. Tour France winner Jonas Vingegaard and nine-time Tour stage winner Wout van Aert also wear this kit, and Jumbo-Visma is becoming widely regarded as the best men’s WorldTour team in today’s peloton. For them, high-performance and serious dedication is mandatory, and no stone is left unturned in their drive to get to the top of the sport. No pressure, then, Tom?
“The team isn’t putting pressure on me, but it’s a big step up,” says the 21-year old. “It’s really different the way they approach everything. I went to the Service Course to meet my coach and pick up some stuff there. I was there for six or seven hours meeting people and talking about the smallest things and little adjustments were being made.
“I remember on the way to the airport afterwards, I was just so drained, because it’s so much new information for me, trying to put everything together and meeting new people and really having those intense interactions that aren’t second nature to me yet.”
While the meticulous attention to detail that the Jumbo-Visma prides itself on might be a little overwhelming for a rider stepping up to the team from Continental level, there’s no doubt that it is a method which breeds success. This year, the team has won the Tour, Paris-Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné, as well as one-day races like Omloop Het Nieuwsblad with their classics rider extraordinaire, Van Aert. Primož Roglič, Christophe Laporte and Van Aert crossing the line to take a 1-2-3 in the first stage of Paris-Nice this year after riding away from the world class peloton was perhaps the most visual representation of Jumbo-Visma as cycling’s new super team.
“They have got a great track record of developing young guys. It’s self-evident if you look at the top riders like Vingegaard, they took him as a fourth year under-23 and really grew him to the Tour de France winner,” says Gloag.
“Roglič was a ski-jumper before and they’ve taken him to win Grand Tours. Van Aert was a professional rider before but he stepped up a level when he joined Jumbo-Visma. You see Laporte this year, for example, he’s an experienced pro who has had around the last 10 years in the peloton, and he’s massively stepped up again this year. It seems like everyone who goes there gets better.”
Image: Alex…