Ryan Kamp hopeful about the future and ambitious for the World Cup: “Have a chance on the podium one good day”

Interview Ryan Kamp has had a few turbulent weeks. The Dutch rider had to leave Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal and found nowhere else to stay, but the brothers Christoph and Philip Roodhooft ultimately offered a solution. He currently rides as a one-man team and has high hopes for the future. He said the latter after the National Championships in Hoogeveen CyclingFlits.

“A very nice sponsor has been added, Fenix,” began Kamp, who cycled around in the green of Fenix ​​for the first time at the National Championships. “I am of course very happy with that. It is certainly for this cross season, I am not yet informed about further developments for next winter. I don’t really have to worry about that right now. The Roodhooft brothers are currently arranging sponsorship matters. That is very nice, and I think the prospects are good.”

“I think I have a chance on the World Cup podium one day”
In the meantime, despite all the troubles, Kamp’s condition is also fine. “I have known all season that my form is good and that I feel good. My legs are good. However, due to the peripheral issues surrounding it in recent weeks, it is of course difficult to translate that into results. But I think I’m making good progress and getting better every week. There is now more peace in my head. So I think that should work out well for the World Cup.”

Kamp makes no secret of his ambitions for the World Cup in Tábor. “I think that on a good day I should have a chance on the podium, because if you have a good day, a lot is possible. There is definitely an upward trend in form. The first place is probably forgiven (he means that there is one absolute top favorite with Mathieu van der Poel, ed.), but behind that it is very broad, I think. So I think anything is possible.”

Over the past period, the unrest about his future has distracted Kamp somewhat, he indicates. “Especially in the weeks when I didn’t know anything yet. Then you train every day with the idea: am I going to exhaust myself completely to be unemployed in two weeks? Even during those trips to Italy and Dublin, which cost thousands of euros, you think: should I still invest in that? I continued to believe in myself and luckily there are a few people who also believe in me, but it kept me from being my best self.”

NK: “I expected to be on the podium”
Kamp also did not meet his own expectations at the National Championships, where he finished fourth. “I certainly expected to be on the podium. I think I had the legs for it, but there was a bit of bad luck involved, so unfortunately I ended up fourth.”

Things went wrong for Kamp at the start. He slipped in one of the first corners. “It was a drag at the start and the corners were slippery and very difficult. A few guests came underneath and I couldn’t slow down myself, so I started to skid a bit myself. I ended up in the chip bags (the fence, ed.). The whole crowd passed by and then you suddenly end up in last place.”

Pursuit
So Kamp had to give chase. “In the first few rounds I still came close to Lars,” he refers to Lars van der Haar, who ultimately finished third. “But Lars also had an acceleration in store, I expected. So third place was no longer possible. It was consolidation. I think I rode about the same times as Lars, so I just had a good day.”

“Halfway through the race I fell again, which was quite painful. I also dropped back to fifth, sixth place, but I was still able to get back to fourth place. I am happy with that in itself, but I would have preferred to be on the podium.”