After some early struggles as an U23, Dane Niklas Larsen had a real breakthrough season in 2018. The multi-talented 21 year old, who also has track ambitions, joined ColoQuick in the offseason and is looking to round out his time as an U23 in style.
Niklas recently answered our questions, so readers can get to know the Olympic hopeful better. Firstly, we discussed his 2018 season, which had its fair share of ups and downs.
“It was a very turbulent season with a lot of ups and downs. I had a very harsh start where I was a bit demotivated and sick, but then I did okay in Loir et Cher and that’s where I started to get in better shape, and thought if I could get through that then surely, I could do better. It paid off with a win in Frankfurt and the stage victory and second in GC at Rhone Alpes. That’s where I started to believe I could actually do well if I just did my homework and worked hard. Things went well but an old injury started to compromise some of my training and we had to scale it down a bit. It started the season before where I was out for one and a half months of the season, and it gave me some problems doing the winter as well. It started to come back more often, so we had to take it easy between the races. The season still went pretty well and I ended the first part of the season with a second place in the national road race championships behind Michael Mørkov. The next goal was Tour of Denmark, and I went on a training camp to prepare, but during this training camp, the injury got worse and I could not do the training I wanted. This demotivated me a little, and I didn’t meet the expectations for Tour of Denmark. After that we had a new look at the injury, and finally found out that I had some scar tissue in my calf from a prior muscle rupture. That’s where my season ended and we started to treat the injury.”
Versatility is a big part of Niklas’ career, but he does admit to having some strengths and weaknesses. He took us through the type of rider he sees himself as.
“I am not the lightest guy in the bunch, but I do have a good sprint and am able to get over some of the smaller hills in the races. My biggest strength is my strong finish I would say, and if I am able to get through the toughest parts of the race, then I have good chance of a good result at the end.”
As Niklas mentioned earlier, he won two races last season, and his biggest came on the U23 scene at U23 Eschborn-Frankfurt. The race was won by Niklas “twice”, and his teammates played a massive role.
“Frankfurt was really nice, it meant that I started to believe in myself a bit more, and that was very helpful. Before the race our DS Michael Skelde said that if I got over the hills close to the front group, the team would help set me up for a sprint. I think that was the first time I was put in a role like that, and that meant a lot to me. The race was hectic before the first long hill. When we hit that first climb, I knew the legs were good, all of us got over the climb in the front and then the hills started coming more frequently. We stayed near the front and got two guys in the break, Jakob Egholm and Andreas Hyldegaard. Things quietened down after and people were waiting for the next long climb, and that’s where the race started for real, people started attacking on the second section of the climb and they went a bit too fast for me. I started riding my own pace and hit the top with twp of my teammates, Jesper Schultz and Mikkel Honore. They helped me the next few kilometres and when we got closer to the front group the two guys in the break dropped back to our group and started working to get me back in contention. We caught up and then we hit the little lap in Frankfurt where my teammates started to neutralise all the attacks and begin our leadout for the sprint. I hit the last corner in second position, and won the sprint. What we didn’t know was that they have made a mistake and we still needed a lap more, they guys got back together and set me up again, where I was first through the corner and won again. The team really did an amazing job and that was very special to me, the feeling of trust that they put in me and being able to finish what they started. They made the difference that day.”
Niklas confirmed that his goals are twofold, as he wants to balance road racing with the track, given the Olympics are a little over a year away, just like his new teammate Julius Johansen. However, his road commitment is far from over.
“With the Olympics getting closer, and with that as my big goal, I only see myself becoming more track focused the next eighteen months. But I will still focus on the road during the season.”
Niklas was pretty clear why he swapped Danish teams this offseason, and said joining ColoQuick took little to no thought at all.
“ColoQuick just had a lot of the things I was searching for, so it wasn’t the hardest of decisions to sign for them.”
In true Scandinavian honesty, Niklas rather surprisingly picked his dream pro win as an event he openly claims is not suited to his characteristics at all.
“The Tour de France. I guess that’s just because it’s the biggest race and the one I dreamed about winning as a child. Although I’d have to say it’s not really my type of race so it’s very unrealistic to think about winning it.”
Niklas Larsen is a massive talent. He may not end his U23 career this season with a step onto the WorldTour given his track goals for 2020, but once these Olympics are over, do not be shocked to see him racing in the top tier of pro cycling.
U23 Cycling Zone wishes to thank Niklas for taking part in the interview and we wish him all the best for 2019, and for his 2020 Olympic dreams. We also want to thank Trine at ColoQuick for setting up the interview. You can follow Niklas on Twitter at @Larsen_Niklas.
U23 Cycling Zone 