After 50 years of directing skilled cyclists from the staff automobile, Intermarché-Circus-Wanty Sports activities Director Hilaire Van der Schueren has determined to quietly finish his run within the position.
The 75-year-old was by no means knowledgeable bicycle owner however received his begin with the staff of Dutchman Jan Raas, a winner of Tour of Flanders twice, Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo along with 10 levels of the Tour de France.
Since then, Van der Schueren has primarily labored with scrappy underdog groups with smaller budgets. In 1996, he joined the Collstrop organisation and remained with them via rebranding as MrBookmaker – Frank Vandenbroucke’s staff from 2004 till 2006 after he confessed to doping – and onto the ill-fated Unibet.com, the centre of the UCI’s battle with the Tour de France organisers ASO.
Van der Schueren joined Vacansoleil in 2009 and, when the staff ended, he moved to Wanty-Groupe Gobert in 2014. He has remained with that organisation since, main the staff into the WorldTour and fielding up-and-coming stars like Biniam Girmay.
Together with successes got here a horrible blow in 2016 when Van der Schueren was driving the staff automobile when Antoine Demoitié was struck by a bike and killed throughout Gent-Wevelgem in 2016, and Van der Schueren was one of many first to the scene.
“Antoine had simply known as on the radio asking for a bidon. These have been his final phrases,” Van der Schueren stated on the time.
“In my profession, I have been on races the place riders have died, but it surely’s by no means been one in every of my very own. It is a lot harder to return to phrases with it.”
In line with Wielerflits, Van der Schueren may stay with the staff in some capability.
“My final race within the automobile as staff chief has handed. However I’ll most likely stick with the staff,” he stated. “We nonetheless want to speak about it correctly, however I am actually not gone but. The staff goes to make me a proposal, however there isn’t a rush. We nonetheless have loads of time.”
Van der Scheuren urged that Steven De Neef, who rode for him on Collstrop, could be a successor.
“Steven De Neef was already with the staff after I joined in 2014. And he’s nonetheless there now, so his monitor report is nice. After which we’ve got youthful staff leaders equivalent to Pieter Vanspeybrouck and Dimitri Claeys. I feel we’re well-equipped for the longer term. I am not nervous about that.”
Van der Scheuren saved a low profile about his retirement, not even telling the riders till after his last races, the Zwevezele Koers and Omloop van het Houtland.
“I did not need the entire race to revolve round me. What made me very blissful is that we gained the final two races with myself within the automobile,” Van der Schueren stated. “Gerben Thijssen was the most effective of the peloton in each … That made it a pleasant farewell.”