Even as a first year U23 in 2021, Gianluca Pollefliet showed his speed, with a 2nd place behind the very strong Mick Van Dijke at a stage of the Flanders Tomorrow Tour. After just five UCI race days, he would swap Acrog-Tormans for Lotto-Soudal U23, and has made a big step up already in 2022.
After winning twice domestically last year in Belgium, he has a win already on home soil, as well as a string of top UCI placings. His best result so far was 2nd in France at GP Comini, although he showed some Classics talents too with 7th at Youngsters Coast Challenge and 10th at U23 Gent-Wevelgem.
I interviewed Gianluca recently, and you can read on to get to know more about a man who has the potential to be one of the fastest sprinters at this level.
“I immediately had a strong start to the season with some nice results in my first races, followed with a bit of bad luck and several crashes. I was at a good level again in Bretagne but on day three I crashed again, which hampered me in the next four days. Now I’m back on a good level and I hope to do plenty of nice sprints.”
Gianluca does indeed acknowledge his strong sprint is a massive asset, but he tells me there is more to his characteristics than would maybe initially meets the eye.
“I think I can say my sprint is my strongest weapon but a Classics course should suit me as well. Then, my sprint will always be my biggest asset.”
After his offseason move, Gianluca told me a little more about the hard work he has done to get better this offseason, as well as what his transfer to Lotto-Soudal has done for him so far.
“I did some additional power training both on and off the bike and I try to visit the physiotherapist once a week for a stability/power session. I don’t specifically train too much for the sprints, several sprint sessions during training allow me to maintain my sprint speed. Riding for Lotto-Soudal motivates me a lot and makes me want to work even harder, the team supports me really well and I’d love to thank them for that with a nice result or a victory.”
When it comes to setting goals, Gianluca, as a fast finisher, has his eyes on winning more before the year ends, specifically his first UCI win. He also has some track goals and some road races he really wants to perform at.
“I would like to win a couple more nice races and preferably a UCI race, maybe a stage in the Flanders Tomorrow Tour. I also want to do well during the European Track Championships this summer. I also look forward to, for example, Paris-Tours at the end of the year.”
Perhaps unsurprising, considering the 20-year-old has mentioned multiple times about his love for the Classics, Pollefliet tells me his dream pro win is the Queen of the Classics.
“Definitely Paris-Roubaix, because it’s just a beautiful race with all those cobbled sections and the heroic character. A stage in a Grand Tour or the green jersey at the Tour would also be really cool.”
There is no question that Gianluca Pollefliet is in a great environment to develop his traits. I can see him having a lot of success in the next months and potentially being moved up to the pro team at some stage in the future. Keep a close eye on Gianluca.
U23 Cycling Zone wishes to thank Gianluca for taking the time to answer my questions and wish him all the best for the rest of the season and beyond. I also wish to thank Cedric Wille at Lotto-Soudal for coordinating the interview. You can find Gianluca’s Instagram linked here.
U23 Cycling Zone 