Yara Kastelijn limits cross-country at Roodhooft’s request: “They look closely at our talent”

Niels Bastiaens •
Thursday, December 28, 2023 at 3:02 PM

Interview 28th at more than six minutes. No, the first cyclocross of the season was not a great sporting success for Yara Kastelijn. But anyone who thinks that will make her smile disappear is wrong. The 26-year-old Dutch woman received confirmation this summer at the Tour de France Femmes that shifting her focus from cross to road was the best thing that could have happened to her. After an amazing solo, she won the fourth stage ahead of Demi Vollering, meaning that cross is now a side issue.

“I was called up as the very last one at the start,” Kastelijn laughs at our microphone after the cross in Heusden-Zolder. “But what does it matter? For me it was especially important to have fun. Today was just my first intensive training. But I still overtook quite a few people along the way, so it wasn’t that bad on a sporting level either. It was a positive day.”

I can imagine that it takes some getting used to getting back into the cross world, after two seasons of full focus on the road.
“That’s true, especially because I had not prepared for this at all. I had only ridden my cross bike once before, but that was before the internship with the road team. It took some getting used to, but the atmosphere is still great.”

What kind of attitude are you riding around with this winter?
“Last year and the years before that, I always found it quite exciting to ride cross-country, but now it feels more like an excursion (laughs). I can no longer make the mistake of putting too much pressure on myself, something I may have done too much in the past. Now I just know that I lack intensity and am at the back. My goals are just somewhere else. I have focused on the road season, and the bow cannot always be tense.”

Last year you put everything on the road for the first time. How did that idea come about?
“It was first discussed during a meeting with Philip Roodhooft, our big boss. Suddenly he said to me: ‘Actually, I think you are a better road runner than a cross rider’. That got me thinking.”

Was that something you had taken into account yourself?
“No. Honestly? I find it difficult to make choices and make decisions. But with the team, Fenix-Deceuninck, they make the choices for me. And that is just the push I need.”

Did that feel like an obligation at the time?
“On the contrary. They always look closely at where everyone’s talent lies within the team, and then they continue to work on that. Look at Marthe Truyen and Julie De Wilde, who also ended up on the road. So when Philip said: ‘Come on, shall we put everything on the road?’, I was quickly convinced. And that immediately turned out well in 2022.”

That’s an understatement, because you immediately finished thirteenth in your first Tour.
“Which is beautiful. But I had to drive far too conservatively for that ranking. This year we completely changed the plans, after I fell hard in Dwars door het Hageland and was unable to train properly for a while. As soon as I recovered, I went on an altitude internship. And I came back feeling great. Then the idea started to mature within the team: ‘We are going to give up the general classification this time, all about attacking!’”

Something you might like to hear?
“Yes! I just don’t like waiting. It’s not the smartest way to race for me either. If I have to stick with riders like Demi Vollering, they are just a little stronger. I hope I can close the gap this year, but it’s just that when someone like Demi starts, I can’t follow.”

“Then you have to make another plan. Making sure you get away before she attacks, and that’s something we tried in this year’s Tour. With the juniors I always rode very aggressively. That’s just my style: attack and see what breaks the ship. It was really nice to have that mind set what to find.”

That resulted in that beautiful stage victory. What changed that day for you?
“You can see that I and the other girls have gained a lot more respect in the road peloton. That may also be the big difference with the cross. I place my stage victory in the Tour higher than the European title in the field, because cyclo-cross is a sport that is mainly watched in Belgium and the Netherlands. While the Tour has viewers all over the world.”

And it wasn’t just you who charmed the viewers, but the entire Fenix-Deceuninck team colored that Tour.
“Other teams buy the best riders, but our team really wants to develop talent. The goal is to continue growing on a smaller budget. It works so well because we have known each other for a long time – often from racing, and the atmosphere is very close. Everything is also handled very professionally. We have exactly the same facilities as the men, which can make a difference. Sports director Michel Cornelisse really believes in us.”

Is it impossible to do better in 2024?
“The Strade Bianche is my first goal of the year. I’m working super hard this winter to be there again in the spring. But it remains exciting to think about the road again. And the cross? I will be in action four more times, and of course I will give the best of myself, but the fun comes first.”