Petr Dlask in Hofstade world cup (Image credit: Frank Bodenmuller)
There was a new face on the podium of the world cup event in Hofstade - Czech giant Petr Dlask. The 30 year-old had a terrible start of the season where he just couldn’t deliver any decent results, but is beginning to find his good form. Cyclingnews' Brecht Decaluwe spoke to the Fidea Cycling Team rider after the race.
Petr Dlask, the Czech cyclo-cross champion, lives near Loenhout, Belgium - a centrally-located hotbed of UCI 'cross racing where the GvA-trophy holds its fifth event on Thursday. It seems like the perfect place to camp for the season. But after a string of disappointing results in October and November, Dlask decided to return to the Czech Republic for a while.
"I expected this season to be just as good as last year, but for some reason the results didn’t come. Mentally it started to be difficult and that’s why I returned to the Czech Republic. Even though my wife and child are staying with me in Belgium, I’m 30 years-old and it’s a bit harder for me to acclimate to the Belgian habits than it is for my younger compatriots like Stybar and Simunek," Dlask explained.
"At home, I have my whole family around me and I can train in the mountains" he continued, "I don’t like to train beside the flat canals in Belgium." The mountain training must have done Dlask a world of good, because last week, the results finally started to come. Dlask took a solid third place in Veghel-Eerde and a very strong second place in Hofstade behind world champion Erwin Vervecken.
