Didier Rous guides Taaramäe to the Classics

Just hearing the inflections in his voice, it’s obvious that Rein Taaramäe has seriously changed as a professional bike rider. For the first time since he turned pro in 2008, Cofidis’ young leader has told Cyclingnews that he’s truly motivated for the Ardennes classics and will race all of them for the first time.

Now 24, Taaramäe was until now trained for stages races, and he took fourth in Paris-Nice and third in the Critérium International earlier this year. “But I would like to do a top 10 in the Ardennes”, he told Cyclingnews.

He insists that he feels no-pressure before the classics, as he only decided last February to race them, dropping the Volta a Catalunya from his schedule, where he went third last year.

“He has got an extraordinary punch, that I honestly see equivalent to that one of Schleck’s brothers, without overrating him. He just needs to have more self-confidence.”