Interview | DSM rookie Van der Meulen suddenly among Giro stars: “Now I'm not a fan anymore, but a colleague”

Aleksandr Vlasov, Geraint Thomas, Tao Geoghegan Hart... these are just a few of the riders that will be racing in the Alps. "Last year, I was still watching those guys in the Tour de France, so they are kind of my idols. On the other hand, I try not to get too excited about it, because I’m not a fan anymore. I have to perform now – they don't see me as an under-23 rider in a race like that. To them, in the Tour of the Alps, I'm just a pro rider, a colleague."

For Van der Meulen, it's his fourth pro race after the Faun-Ardeche Classic, GP Criquelion, and Volta Limburg Classic (in which he finished fifteenth), but it’s the first multi-stage one. "We're jumping in with both feet, straight away. For me, that's fun, because then I can see where I want to go. I can learn so much from those guys. For example, I share a room with Harm Vanhoucke, which is really cool. For me, it's mainly about keeping my eyes open and seeing what I can learn going forward. But if I can deliver a great performance, I of course want to do that as well."

The Dutchman didn't have the best start to the year, but is now on the right track. "I got sick at the second training camp in February, so my form wasn't really good yet. Nonetheless, you learn so much from it, just being in that environment and working towards a race like that. Learning from a guy like Romain Bardet, that's priceless for a 19-year-old. I just think it's fantastic."

It's no coincidence that Van der Meulen, who was very successful in the junior circuit last year, is competing for DSM. He became hooked on cycling through Tom Dumoulin. "I started cycling when I was twelve, but during the 2015 Vuelta I really became a fan of the sport," he explains. "That was Tom Dumoulin's Vuelta, with that legendary finish on Cumbre del Sol. He was overtaken by Froome, but then managed to pass him at the last second. It was truly fantastic and that's when I was completely enamored."

"After that, I finished another year of soccer, but then I started cycling," Van der Meulen continued. "My father has coached many riders from continental teams, so he knew what it was like to get into the life of a pro. He has guided me through it very well and very calmly, so I always had someone to fall back on."

Van der Meulen doesn't see himself as the super talent who crushed everything from a young age. "When I look back... I think I was just riding at the front in my first race, but then got dropped completely when it became a sprint. Maybe you do have talent, but you don't see it at first. At a certain point, I often managed to stay with the front group, but then by default I always finished last in the sprint. So I never saw myself as the most talented, but I was also never dropped."

This is one of many examples of Van der Meulen’s strong mentality. "I like to say that I have less talent than others – but have to work harder because of that. I want to win and I am willing to do anything for it. When I tell myself that I can achieve more by giving that little bit extra and by being more eager to learn, it can give me that small extra advantage."

"I just try to ask people as many questions as possible – including the team leaders at the professional races," he says as an example. "I'm here to get better, so every little bit helps me with that. For example, someone like Bardet knows what it's like to consistently perform at the top for decades. That's really special and you can learn so much from that. I take all of that to heart."

At this stage of his career, Van der Meulen also talks about "there is no losing now", as he describes it himself. "Some things just take time. I try to focus on what I can do better, whether I win or 'lose', as it were. And even if you win, does that mean the race went perfectly? In my opinion, that's not always the case."

He has a perfect example in last year’s Junior World Championships in Australia: Van der Meulen started as one of the top contenders but crashed badly in the first lap. "I coped with that pretty well. In my head, the race was already over, but I got up and started riding again to give everything for Menno (Huising, ed.). I immediately told Adriaan Helmantel after the finish: I'd rather have this than giving everything and finishing eighth. I crashed in the first lap, but I finished the race. My body was so broken, but I still gave everything I had. I learned so much from that," he says, feeling satisfied about that achievement.

"In the end, you're there to win, but looking back – does a Junior World Championships win really count that much?", he asks the question, and then answers it himself. "However, I do take that experience with me; it will stay with me forever. I now know what it's like to train and live in Australia for three weeks before such a championship – only to crash in the first lap. After that, I picked myself up and kept going, so it doesn't feel like a setback. It's an experience I've learned a lot from."

In any case, the whole adventure Down Under was an experience he will never forget. "Someone like Annemiek van Vleuten, I saw her at the World Championships. After her time trial, she was really disappointed and then she fell in the Mixed Team Relay. She was devastated by that, that evening. How she still managed to pull herself together, it still gives me goosebumps. How bizarre, how she still wins that race. I have so much respect for that, she is truly someone that I look up to."

After that World Championship, Van der Meulen joined Team DSM's development team. "I actually felt quite good before the training camp, but I immediately fell ill in Spain. I didn't really have time to bring my level back up because I started riding pro races right away. It wasn't so bad, but I wasn't sharp enough. I let things slip a bit too quickly, but then I really had to push myself."

"When you feel good, it's always fun. I'm not someone who doubts myself easily, but I did notice that I wanted to train more. Fortunately, I have enough fantastic coaches around me at Team DSM who say, 'Hey, Max, just stay calm. There will be plenty of time to train.' They were absolutely right about that."

"So many people in the team are professionally guiding me into the life of a pro," says a satisfied Van der Meulen. "We have experts in materials, people who know a lot about nutrition, trainers, coaches... all those people help with that. Now I work much more closely with them than at the beginning of the season, because I'm also interested in that. The team really wants to help me with that, without pushing me."

“For me, it really feels like the focus is on Max van der Meulen, the person – instead of on the rider who can pedal hard,” explains the articulate young cyclist. “They have patience with me and I also feel very heard as a person. The team truly has trust in me, which also gives me confidence in the team. I can see myself racing here for five or ten years, that's how at home I feel.”

That is a bold statement, especially since the outside world has had some doubts about Team DSM's philosophy in recent years. “For me as a young rider, it is a bit difficult, because it has always been my dream team. At CyclingClassNL, I also did a lot of tests, so I found it a bit unusual,” says Van der Meulen. “In the conversations I had with Team DSM, I heard a real plan: DSM is the team and that comes first, without riders putting themselves above the team. That vision suits with me, because you are expected to want to develop. It's as simple as that, really. I really identify with that, but it may not be a good fit for some other guys.”

“Ultimately, that's also a bit what the sport is about: your last race is what counts,” he searches for an explanation. “For all we know, Team DSM could have won the Giro last year with Bardet, and Arensman could have finished eighth – then suddenly it's Dutch glory. I don't pay too much attention to that, because everyone always has something to say.”

Despite still being uncertain about where he will stand in a few years, Van der Meulen speaks like a mature rider. "I see myself as a grand tour rider, but I can also pack quite a punch. I don't tire quickly and don't have much of a decline, so I think I'm even better in the longer climbs. But, on the other hand: during the Volta, I raced really hard and I surprised myself in terms of endurance on that wet and freezing day in South Limburg," he says.

"In Criquelion, for example, it was clear: I had to ride at the front. I then rode 160 kilometers at the front. That was a relatively easy task, but personally I get more satisfaction out of a Volta Limburg," says the 19-year-old rider. "I was out there with Antonio Morgado and Johannes Staune-Mittet, two of the strongest guys in the U23 category. That was just the motivation I needed to feel that I can win this year."

"I'm now riding the Tour of the Alps, but after that, I'm also riding the Alpes Isere in preparation for the Baby Giro. Then the Giro d Valle'Aosta, and I also hope I can qualify for the Tour de l'Avenir. That would be really cool," says Van der Meulen, whose eagerness is audible in every sentence. "It's also the goal to show what I can do there. That’s the point, right? I want to show my best, always."

"Being a pro cyclist is the perfect life, you won't hear me complain about it," says Van der Meulen. "I just love cycling, suffering and racing. Sometimes I feel like cycling is just a routine for some guys, they don't seem to enjoy it. Someone like Pogacar, that's great to see. Then it's also more fun – and that's what you do it for, right? It doesn't always have to be very serious. Racing, that's what you do it for!"

Tom van der Salm (Twitter: @TomvanderSalm)