Mil Morang doesn’t actually have the ideal physical conditions for a race like Liège-Bastogne-Liège. At 1.92 meters and 75 kilograms, the 21-year-old is not one of the classic lightweights in the peloton – and therefore naturally has a harder time mastering the short, intense climbs in the Ardennes. “That’s right, I’m significantly heavier than the drivers who usually ride at the front,” says Morang. “That’s why I was actually surprised by 6th place.”
It was already his fourth start in the Espoirs race of the “Monument”: he failed to reach the finish line twice; last year he finished 25th. “This year it wasn’t the same as in previous years. That was also due to the start list, which was even stronger. The fight for the breakaway group was long and hard. When a group of 30 riders left, I wasn’t too worried. World champion Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull-Bora hansgrohe rookies) discussed directly with his teammates not to let the group go too far.”
In the middle of the big young teams
Morang, who started with the national team in Liège, only had Mats Berns at his side until the decisive phase began. Flavio Astolfi, Yannis Lang, Lennox Papi and Alex Kerrens were already eliminated at this point. “Mats was there until the Côte de la Redoute, then he was taken out. They take the riders out there relatively quickly. I then had to place well on the climbs, but I can do that on my own. Overall, it was the first race with the new national team. I’ve never ridden with them before. It’s of course a big change when I compare this team with the one from last year. They still have to learn, but I’m sure it will get better in the future.”
At the end of the “Doyenne” for the U23, a group of 26 made their way towards the finish line. Morang sprinted to sixth place, while Dutchman Daan Dijkman from the UAE youth team took victory – who, by the way, weighs 55 kilos and is 1.70 meters tall. This means that the Dutchman can climb the climbs more easily, but in terms of physical conditions alone, he actually has a harder time sprinting. Second in the sprint was the Australian Jack Ward from the Lidl-Trek junior team, third was the Norwegian Jasper Stiansen from the Tudor junior team, and fourth and fifth place also came from riders from the junior teams of the big teams Visma-Lease a Bike and Soudal Quick-Step.
Form building in Greece
This makes sixth place all the more important for Morang. World champion Finn only came 13th. “This place is very valuable to me,” says Morang. “I’m proud of it and it gives me self-confidence, especially for races where things go uphill. I had a very good day, everything went well and I’ve rarely felt so good.” For Morang it is the best result of his career. Last year he drew attention to himself in the professional peloton by winning the mountain jersey at the Tour de Luxembourg (2nd Pro).
Morang laid the foundation for his form at the end of February with three one-day races and a stage race in Greece. “I was very happy with Greece. I used the three weeks to get in shape. So not only did I race, but I was also able to train well in the sun.” This was followed by 25th place at the Youngster Coast Challenge (1.2U) in Belgium, 56th place at the Olympia’s Tour (2.2) in the Netherlands and 48th place at Paris-Roubaix Espoirs (1.2U).
Highlight Tageblatt Flèche du Sud
“The Olympia’s Tour was going quite well until the penultimate stage. The stage from the VAM mountain was not good, I didn’t have a good day. I already had a lot of races under my belt, I was on the road for a long time and then it became mentally difficult. We then decided with the team and coach to skip the Mur de Huy Classic so that I could be fresher. It was important to me to be in good shape for the block with Roubaix, Liège and the Tour de Bretagne, which starts on Saturday.”
The Tour de Bretagne (2.2) begins for Morang on Saturday, which he also wants to use to fine-tune his form for the subsequent Flèche du Sud (2.1/13-17 May). “A stage race over seven days is always very important to hone your form. The Flèche du Sud on the home roads is always a big goal of mine.” Together with compatriot Arno Wallenborn, his German Continental team Lotto Kern-Haus Outlet Montabaur is aiming for a good placement in the overall ranking. Morang himself primarily wants to be active and offensive in order to achieve a top result on individual stages. He will certainly be able to put the momentum from Liège to good use.
