Ide Schelling leader in the Baloise Belgium Tour: “I can win competitions even without a major”

Eddie Schilling will start on Wednesday as one of the favorites in the Tour of Balois Belgium. The 23-year-old from BORA-Hansgrohe immediately won Switzerland’s Grosser Preis des Kantons Aargau after a month at his home in The Hague last week. “Obviously I don’t need bootcamps or alpine courses,” he jokes at WielerFlits.

“After the Walloon Classics, I trained in Holland for a while and had a great time at home,” says Schilling. “It worked for me. In The Hague I can ride a bike in a nice environment and in Switzerland I was immediately good. Training camps and internships seem unnecessary to me. It is great to now have my first professional victory. I am a rider in all respects, but I am happy Because I showed in Switzerland that I can win races even without a major.”

Ranking contestant
The winner of the Baloise Belgium Tour must be good on the cobblestones and slopes of the Ardennes and time trial. Three disciplines in which Schilling is very versatile. “That is why I am the rating rider for BORA-Hansgrohe in the Baloise Belgium Tour. I hope to show my good form there.”

Schilling surprised at this year’s Basque Country Tour with eighth place in a short trial on an elevated track. “Here the trial period is fixed and 11km in length. The trial period is short, I like it. This suits me much better than a long distance. I am also looking forward to riding the Ardennes Ride. Can’t wait for this.”

Schilling’s two-year contract with BORA-hansgrohe expires after 2021, so the question is which team he will lead next year. “It’s clear now, but I’d prefer to keep it to myself for a while,” says de Hamaturelin. “After this week, I will definitely still be in the Dutch Time Test Championship. Then we will have to wait and see which Grand Tour I will ride this year.”