Jurgen Van den Broeck hopes to restart his cycling career. After nine years at Lotto Soudal he needs a breath of fresh air. That’s what he has found at Katusha. After just a few weeks with the Russian team, he has already swallowed the bitter pill of two unsuccessful seasons.

“Yes,” he replied promptly when WielerFlits asked him whether his new team already felt like home. “Already from the first moment at the introduction, I really felt at home. Everyone gives you that feeling and that naturally maes it very pleasant to work."

However, the language is still a barrier.

"No, not at all,” he said when asked whether he already speaks Russian. “I do not understand it either. This winter I did a course in Italian and I'm still working on that. In that respect, I try to get integrated as good as possible. I also hope to learn a bit of Spanish.

"It's a completely different experience. People have a very different image of Katusha than it actually is. It is a very structured and professional team and the riders are all pleasant.

"I am pleasantly surprised by the Russian riders. They appear to be a bit reserbed buti n the team they are very open, friendly and social and that makes it really fun. They are very hard workers and I really like that in this team.”

Van den Broeck has spent most of his career at Lotto Soudal and so the new chapter marks a completely new experience.

"The Russians are here to really succeed in cycling,” he said. “For them this is the only way out. They are very hard workers and do not complain.  I really like to train in such an environment.”

Van den Broeck recently trained with his new teammates in Calpe.

"We do a lot of quiet workouts, not much intensity but I feel that the condition is getting better. Everything is going according to plan. In Belgium, the weather is good enough to train. And mentally I'm a lot better than years ago. I train an average of eight to nine hours more than before. I think it does make a difference.

"I like to ride again. In recent years, it was sometimes hard to find that motivation because it was just a mental challenge. I have had very difficult periods and I needed some new re which I have found.

"It is just the way they approach everything here, how they approach the riders, the race program. That's a huge difference for me.

"I think everyone noticed that in the end I was a bit lost [at Lotto Soudal]. For me it was far from fun. I found it really frustrating that if I could not perform. I could not find myself anymore and that was really unfortunate. The outside world sees that and people write you off. I realized that too but mentally it just did not work. I think I need this move now.

"I think if you train two hours longer than necessary with fun during the winter while you previously stopped an hour earlier, you immediately know that the mentality has changed. I no longer ride against my will. What was a sacrifice before is now no sacrifice because it is part of my job and that makes it fun. "

"I never showed it, but mentally I really had a hard time. There were times that I was really tired [and thought about retirement.”

However, Van den Broeck can’t pinpoint a specific event where he thought about hanging up the bike.

"It is hard to say, but they were definitely there,” he said. “You feel that things fail. You get comments from people and you feel that it becomes difficult in the team. Then the doubts naturally start to come.

”I've been pleased by the fact that there was interest from Viatcheslav Ekimov (Katusha team leader, ed.) And José Azevedo (Katusha sports director, ed.). Those are people with whom I turned professional and they have learned me a lot. They have always followed me and from the first contact they have had a lot of trust and faith in me. That makes it attractive. You get a new boost because there are still people who believe in you. For me that was the big issue. When I was a neo pro, they were still active riders. They have a huge palmares and know what they are talking about. When they show interest in you, the confidence will come back.”

However, Van den Broeck still has great memeories from his time at Lotto Soudal.
 

"I had a lot of great years, but the last two years were maybe too much,” he said. “But I cannot say that it was bad, it was very beautiful. In the end I think everyone saw that change was needed. In 2016 I will have more or less the same race program. Perhaps there will be less races because that’s what they are used to here and there will also be a different way of racing: more attractive, more offensively. In some races I have to try to ride for GC but in other races I just have to ride aggressively for victory.

"Next year I will again again do the Tour (this year Van den Broeck rode the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, ed.). At Katusha, they said that what you've shown in the past is still there. Mentally it was not but they tell me that we will work on that. Physically, it has always been there.”

With two fourth places, Van den Broeck has been close to the podium in the Tour de France but his goals are a bit less ambitious as he lines up as part of Katusha team with a three-pronged attack.

"The team wants to aim high with Kristoff, Rodriguez and me,” he said. “For me that means a place in the top ten and if there is a chance to get Rodriguez on the podium, we will go 100% for that. It's nice that you can play different cards.”

He refuses that it marks a step down.

"Not after what happened last year all,” he said. “You have to start gently again. The last two years have really not been good, I know that. But I know I can still do it."

Van den Broeck will start his season on February 17 at the Tour of Oman. He will join forces with Rodriguez at Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour of the Basque Country and the two Ardennes Classics Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The build-up to the Tour de France will consist of the Tour of California and the Criterium du Dauphiné.