The immense rate of talented riders coming out of the Lotto-Soudal U23 team is astounding, especially given the competition to secure the best Belgian talents. The team has produced a number of elite climbers in recent seasons, but the 2020 squad looks to be a throwback to vintage Belgium: full of sprinters, TT riders and Classics guys.
Heading into the season, it’s hard to argue against calling Arne Marit the team’s number one fast man. Winner of the 2019 GP Criquielion, Marit turned down some pro offers to return for his third season of U23 eligibility, as he seeks to add more big races to his palmares.
We caught up with Arne ahead of what will be a huge season in order to get to know him better. But before we get ahead of ourselves, lets bring it back to the season just passed.
“I’m really happy with my 2019 season. I started my second season at this level with an immediate third place. Overall, I made the podium fifteen times. I would have liked to have finished it off more, but I am happy. I was always there in the sprints.”
Arne is a sprinter, but there is much more to him than that. He has Classics ability and can, like a lot of his compatriots, survive the climbs too.
“Indeed I am more than a sprinter. My best sprints are uphill, where it is not as much about pure power. When the race gets hard and others tire, that also suits me. I’d say just now I double as a sprinter and a Classics rider. For now, I want to keep combining the two.”
Winning any UCI race in your second season as an U23 is special enough, but Arne went on to tell us why GP Criquielion was even more special for him on a personal level.
“That was a special day. The finish is 10km from my home, so I know the roads well and all my supporters (he has a fan page on Facebook with over 1400 followers) were there. There was a lot of wind in the beginning and SportVlaanderen made it hard. There was a group of 20 with a gap of 1:30 and I had to bridge that with just one other guy. We made it, but on the last lap things still came all together again. I knew the roads and was well positioned on the final cobbled climb. There was a sprint of 30 guys and, knowing the final metres so well, I planned my sprint perfectly and could win.”
Another season highlight came with selection to the Baloise Belgium Tour by the national team. Arne says he wasn’t in peak shape, but took a top ten home, as well as a lot of lessons about racing with WorldTour pros.
“The Belgium Tour was a really nice experience. I was supposed to be on a break between Navarra and Omloop, but the national coach called me and asked if I wanted to ride. I was not in the best shape but I couldn’t miss the chance. I was ninth on the opening stage’s sprint, which was a surprise. But on the other days I didn’t feel the best. The level was high and it actually made me doubt if I was ready to turn pro yet. I made the call that I needed another season as an U23 off the performance in this race.”
Arne didn’t just decide to not go pro, he turned down contracts from a few ProConti teams. Physically, he was ready, but he felt another aspect of his racing needed developing.
“I had offers from SportVlaanderen and Wanty. Between my team manager and my agent at Squadra, we made the call to wait and go pro in 2021. I do feel physically ready for the pros, but not mentally ready just yet. I think it’s a good decision, now we need to wait and see what happens. My goal for the year is for sure to go pro.”
Marit made it clear how important winning more races in 2020 is to him, and he outlined where we will see him in the opening part of the season. Here, we have divulged most of the races he told us he will do in the first few months of the year.
“I want to win more sprints. I start with Brussels-Opwijk, followed by the Triptyque, U23 Flanders and the other Classics. Then it’s the Tour de Bretagne. A lot of the guys who beat me in the sprints there last year (Arne was four times in the top ten, including two 4th places and 18th overall) went on to go pro. If I can do well at a race like that it’s going to be a good gauge for where I am against the other top sprinters and will judge if I’m fully ready for the pros.”
When asked what his dream win would be, Arne, like a lot of young riders, couldn’t escape the magic posed to him by the Queen of the Classics, the Hell of the North, Paris Roubaix.
“I’d pick Roubaix. It’s such an intense race. I raced it twice as a junior, and it takes place on the same day as the pro race. The fans are already there and they made the atmosphere incredible. I think if you can win that race, you truly are a ‘Man of Steel’.
Arne Marit looks to be a massive sprint talent, who also has untapped potential as a time triallist and Classics specialist. Having the kind of fast finish that he has, he will be near or at the top of the results sheets a lot in 2020. Keep his name fresh in mind, I have no doubt he will be calling himself a pro by this time in the 2021 season.
U23 Cycling Zone wishes to thank Arne for taking the time to speak with us and we wish him all the best for his 2020 season and beyond. We also wish to thank Philippe Maertens for setting up the interview. You can follow Arne on Instagram here.
U23 Cycling Zone 