After his second disqualification in five years from a road race for setups deemed illegal by the UCI, Dutch rider Jan-Willem van Schip says he is mulling over which direction to take his career, with participation in gravel races amongst his various options.
Already disqualified from the 2021 Baloise Belgium Tour for using handlebars deemed illegal by the UCI, earlier this week Van Schip found himself in the firing line of cycling's governing body again when he was disqualified from stage 1 of the Tour of Holland.
This time round, Van Schip was expelled because of an apparently illegal seatpost, a decision appealed by his team, Parkhotel Valkenburg.
"His seatpost allegedly does not meet UCI requirements," Parkhotel Valkenburg team manager Paul Tabak said in a statement to WielerFlits. "But he has been riding with one for several years and has documentation that it is permitted."
In photos shared to X, his seatpost is shown with a clear kink forwards, steepening the angle between his bottom bracket and his saddle and putting him in a much more forward position over the bike
Van Schip himself did not talk to the press after his expulsion, but he has now opted to make a lengthy post about it on social media. Whilst not criticising the UCI directly, he did make the point that "being rejected because you're chasing your dream hurts", that "Being the outcast that tackles things differently leads to gigantic unnecessary friction and that "The contrast of what you need to do to perform in cycling and what cycling culture encourages you [to do] cannot be greater."
As for where he goes from here, Van Schip, a former winner of the Ronde van Drenthe in Holland and stage of the Tour of Belgium, said he will be looking at a potential ride in gravel races, as well as on the track. Even a ride in gravel's best-known one-day event, Unbound, was not off his radar, he said.
"Six-Day Rotterdam (come and see! ), try gravel, do Unbound, does anyone have a gravel bike/team on offer?" he asked rhetorically.
Other career options, he said, were giving conferences - " Does anyone want a custom talk about dealing with pressure?"- coaching, and "Keeping supporting myself to keep trying and exploring."
The 31-year-old also thanked the public for what he said was support on the roadside in his cycling endeavours, saying "I am really thankful [...] that so many people on rainy Thursdays shouted - Go Willem. I keep feeling that people are worried about me and want me to be okay. That moves me."
Meanwhile the Tour of Holland continues, with Ethan Hayter (Soudal-QuickStep) leading after three stages. The race is due to finish on Sunday in Arnhem.
