Having finished in the top 10 in the Tour of Britain, Dylan Teuns went into the U23 World Championships as one of the big favourites but after having used a bit of energy in an earlier break, he was unable to go with Sven Erik Bystrøm in the finale. The talented Belgian now prepares for his first professional season at BMC where he hopes to develop into a future Ardennes contender under the tutelage of Philippe Gilbert and Greg Van Avermaet.

Stagiares usually have a hard time when they go up against the pros that are all aiming for the World Championships. Very often they have to settle for a domestique role and learning experiences without having the chance to go for a personal result.

One of the rare exceptions from that general rule is Dylan Teuns. While riding for the BMC Racing Team, the talented Belgian has made some extraordinary performances that has even allowed him to taste a leadership role at the pro level.

Teuns already showed his potential when he climbed with the best in the Tour of Utah which is one of the most mountainous one-week races of the world. He finished the race in 18th overall despite working for teammates Cadel Evans and Ben Hermans.

Having briefly returned to the U23 level with a stage win in the Tour de l’Avenir, Teuns was back in the pro ranks for the Tour of Britain. Having been one of the best climbers, he was in podium contention until the final time trial where he dropped to 10th. He crowned his performances a few days later when he finished 6th in the GP de Wallonie which was won by his teammate Greg Van Avermaet.

Being a strong puncheur, Teuns was marked out as a potential winner of the U23 road race at the World Championships. However, it wasn’t to be as he was unable to go with eventual winner Sven Erik Bystrøm in the finale and he rolled across the line in the group that sprinted for second, finishing the race in 29th.

Teuns had been on the attack surprisingly early when he joined a strong group at the midpoint of the race. That group was eventually brought back but he still had enough left to try to follow Bystrøm in the finale. He was joined by Australian Robert Power and a few more in a small chase group that was eventually brought back.

Afterwards, Teuns admitted that he had made a bit of a gamble by attacking so early but he also regretted the tactic of the Australian team who had controlled things firmly for their sprinter Caleb Ewan.

“It was not a real plan but when you see that strong guys go away in a group of 15 riders, you need to be there,” he told CyclingQuotes after the race. “It was a chance with that group. Australia was really strong and they closed the gap.

“I was impressed by the work of the guys but I think they made the wrong choice. I think they should not have supported Caleb. They should have supported Power. When he was in that break, we could go to the last climb where someone from the group could attack or we could have a sprint with a small group. They closed the gap for Caleb but I think he was not strong enough for this hard climb.

“In the finale, I tried but the Norwegian guy [Bystrøm] was 10m ahead of me and three other guys and it was enough for him and too much for us.”

Teuns admitted that he may have been able to follow Bystrøm, had he ridden a bit more conservatively.

“Yes, maybe. Then I would have saved energy but that’s the race.”

Next year Teuns will become a real pro rider when he joins BMC Racing Team. Having shown talents in one-day races and classics, he has a clear idea about which races to target in the future.

“I think that I will be good in one-week stage races,” he said. “We will see what I can do in a grand tour but that’s for the future. In a few years, we will know. My big goals are the Ardennes classics. I want to be there in a few years. I want to race for the win in those races.”

For the first two years, however, it will all be about learning the ropes of being a professional. With Philippe Gilbert and Greg Van Avermaet, he couldn’t have asked for better mentors for the Ardennes classics.

“It will all be a learning experience,” he said. “That’s the most important. In 4 years or something, I may sometimes be a leader. Now I think I can learn a lot from Philippe and Greg. I think that’s more important for the first two years.

“It’s a big dream coming true [to join the team]. I can learn a lot from these two guys. Maybe I can have a free role in some small, hilly races but not in the big races. I will work for Philippe or Greg. It’s normal you work for guys like them.”

Teuns already hopes to do the big classics in his first year.

“I hope so,” he said. “Then I can learn how the races go. Maybe it’s not the big goal to finish them but for sure I want to start. Hopefully, I can do something for Philippe when he is there in great shape.”

The one-day races may be his first goal but the stage races could turn into a goal later in his career. In fact, he won’t even rule out becoming a grand tour contender.

“I don’t know if it’s possible,” he said when asked about his prospects in the three-week races. “I am a good climber but in the U23 I am not the best in the world. I am in the second line. I am more of a puncher than a real climber. We will see.”

To be a contender for the stage races, Teuns needs to improve his TT skills that proved to be costly in the Tour of Britain. He knows that he has some work to do but expects to mature naturally.

“I will work on the TT,” he said. “It’s important to be better in that discipline but I don’t think I did a really bad TT [in Britain]. It was good. When I have trained more and got more power, I think I will do better.”