Laurens De Plus says he can't wait to kickstart his career at Ineos Grenadiers in the upcoming 2021 season after only appearing for former team Jumbo-Visma four times in 2020.
The reason for De Plus' lack of racing was because of an ongoing hip injury alongside the issues of the Covid-19 global pandemic surrounding the whole year.
>>> Wout van Aert and Jumbo-Visma reportedly close to agreeing contract extension
Speaking to Sporza's podcast, De Tribune, De Plus says: "I was very happy when I was allowed to put on the Ineos outfit for the first time on January 1. It gave me an adrenaline boost, I am really looking forward to be able to shine again this year as in 2019.
"[2020] was a bit disappointing. Due to the lockdown, the entire season was crammed into three months. That hip injury before the restart of the season was therefore very inconvenient.
"Thanks to [Primož] Roglič's victory in Liège, I was still able to say goodbye to the team [Jumbo-Visma] in a nice way. Otherwise it would have been sour."
The 25-year-old says he is really looking forward to showing what he can do in front of his new team-mates and to aim for some big targets.
De Plus' brother has been with the British team for some time as a mechanic which reassured him that the team is an ideal fit.
The Belgian isn't coming to Ineos as yet another domestique in the mountains, and while he will have to support the big names, he will also have the lead at races like the Ardennes Classics.
He continued: "It will not be as everyone probably thinks, I really have ambition.
"We agreed with the team that I will still go to the Grand Tours and support the leaders. But in certain races I will be allowed to take my own chances."
Ineos have allowed De Plus to choose some races in his race calendar: "I have indicated that the Ardennes Classics are close to my heart. The plan is to be good there and to get a free role."
Tim Bonville-Ginn is one of Cycling Weekly's content writers for the web team responsible for writing stories on racing, tech, updating evergreen pages as well as the weekly email newsletter.
Bonville-Ginn started working in cycling journalism while still at school and university for a voluntary site based on Twitter before also doing slots for Eurosport's online web team and has been on location at the Tour de Yorkshire, Tour of Britain, UCI World Championships and various track events. He then joined the Cycling Weekly team in late February of 2020.
When not writing stories for the site, Bonville-Ginn doesn't really switch off his cycling side as he watches every race that is televised as well as being a rider himself and a regular user of the game Pro Cycling Manager.
He rides a Specialized Tarmac SL4 when out on his local roads back in West Yorkshire as well as in northern Hampshire with the hills and mountains being his preferred terrain.
-
-
Tweets of the week: Evie Richards tries skateboarding, Alex Dowsett's puncture nightmare and more
Here's a selection of our favourite tweets from the last seven days
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Lezyne Macro Drive 1300XXL review
A quality option that offers up a greater battery life than the competition and produces a wide beam that helps keep your peripheral vision informed
By Michelle Arthurs-Brennan •
-
Ethan Hayter disappointed to surrender Tour of Britain title on final day
Wout van Aert secured victory away from Hayter with his stage win in Aberdeen
By Ryan Dabbs •
-
Tom Dumoulin still plans to continue cycling career next year
The Dutch star was knocked from his bike by a driver, which spoiled his World Championship ambitions
By Alex Ballinger •
-
'I just put it in my biggest gear and went flat out': Ethan Hayter on his first Tour of Britain stage win
The British rider has been on sparkling form this season taking his eighth win of the year in Warrington
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Wout van Aert says he's 'happy he made it to the finish in one piece' after avoiding late Tour of Britain crash
The Belgian champion had to hand his leader's jersey back to Ethan Hayter, who won the stage
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Wout van Aert hails 'special finish' on Great Orme at Tour of Britain after beating Julian Alaphilippe
The Belgian champion is using the British race as a key warm-up for a home World Championships
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Ethan Hayter says he's 'up against it' as he leads Tour of Britain into queen stage
Ineos Grenadiers took stage three team time trial and now sit first and second in the overall standings
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
‘I learned about suffering’ - Egan Bernal and Adam Yates reflect on mixed Vuelta a España for Ineos Grenadiers
The British WorldTour squad left the race without a reason to celebrate, but have taken hope from the final Grand Tour of the season
By Alex Ballinger •
-
'It’s been the team I’ve always looked up to': Britain's Ben Tulett joins Ineos Grenadiers for 2022 season
The 20-year-old has wanted to ride for the team since reading about the launch in Cycling Weekly back in 2010
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
