Cannondale’s Wouter Wippert ready to take on the world

The significance of last year’s win on stage 6 at the Santos Tour Down Under (TDU) is not lost on 25-year-old Dutch sprinter Wouter Wippert. The Cannondale neo-pro, then riding for Australian-registered UCI Professional Continental team Drapac, dashed to victory to claim the first WorldTour win of his brief two-year pro career.

While marquee riders Mark Cavendish, André Greipel and Peter Sagan were absent from the race, names like Marcel Kittel, Daryl Impey, Heinrich Haussler, Giacomo Nizollo and Tom Dumoulin for example were not.

“I have a lot of good memories about that day,” Wippert told Eurosport on the eve of attempting to reclaim the closing stage in Adelaide on Sunday. “I remember being really nervous before the race and feeling tired after a few laps, but in the end my team brought me to the front and the rest was history.

“Everything changed that day for the better.”

Wippert added four more wins over the course of the 2015 season, including two at Tour de Korea (UCI 2.1) over eventual race winner and Australian sprinting sensation Caleb Ewan (Orica-GreenEdge).

But it was his podium performances at the Tour of California (2.HC) a month earlier that really turned heads. Wippert went wheel-to-wheel with both Cavendish and Sagan in the opening stage to take third before being caught in the middle with two second-place finishes as the current and former world road race champions swapped gold and bronze on stages 4 and 8 respectively.

“California was three podiums, but not in the spot I wanted actually,” said Wippert in an interview with Velonews last June. “In fact, I was a bit disappointed by those results.

“I’ve proved that it’s possible for me to compete with those guys and even beat them.”

According to Wippert the only thing holding him back is himself. Conditioning has been Wippert’s Achilles heel in the past, but the three-time Tour de Taiwan (2.1) stage winner claims he has lost weight, increased power and gained endurance with a self-disciplined off-season training and nutrition program.

“Last year at this point, I was bit too heavy and really struggled on the climbs,” admitted Wippert. “This year I am race fit and it makes life a lot easier on the bike.

“It’s still suffering but way less than last year, and I am really happy with my shape at the moment and I hope I can finish it off tomorrow and then take good legs to Europe and start my season in February over there.”

Following the TDU, Wippert’s program most notably includes Gent-Wevelgem, Paris-Roubaix, California and the Vuelta a España.

“I am excited about my race calendar,” said Wippert. “To be honest, everyone on the team is so motivated and we share the same goals and work with each other no questions asked and so far it’s working well.”

Back in South Australia, Ewan is in top form with six wins already to start the year, including the Australian critierium championship, the People’s Choice Classic and the opening stage of the TDU. Wippert understands beating the 21-year-old sprinting sensation will be no easy task.

“There’s going to be one chance and it’s going too be hard,” explained Wippert. “Everyone knows Caleb is in great form with an experienced team, and it isn’t going to be easy, but I have beaten him before so it is possible.”

Joining Wippert in the 20-lap, 90-kilometre city circuit showdown are Patrick Bevin (NZL), Moreno Moser (ITA), Alberto Bettiol (ITA), Ruben Zepuntke (GER), former Orica-GreenEdge rider Simon Clarke (AUS) and fellow neo-pro and general classification (GC) contender Michael Woods (CAN).

“Tomorrow is the last day and we have two simple objectives,” said Bevin, himself an accomplished sprinter with a win over Ewan last year as well. “The first is to keep Mike Woods out of trouble and in the top 5 on GC, and the other is to get Wouter Wippert in position for the sprint.

“Wouter won stage 6 here last year while riding for Drapac, and this year he is leaner, faster and stronger.

“He was pretty good on the first stage when he finished third behind Ewan and Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo), and we will certainly get behind him and position him up there for the win, which would be a really great way to finish the week and start the year.”