Gert Steegmans – More Powerful Than a Locomotive?

If you’ve spent any time traveling around France, you’ve heard of their high-speed train, the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse).  It’s really fast.  In 2007 one of their electric test trains set the current world speed record at 357.2 mph!  They already owned the world record for non-electric trains, 198 mph.  Originally designed to be a gas turbine some say, the ‘T’ in TGV used to stand for high-speed Turbine.  But that changed.   Price of gas required a switch to electric in mid-development. I love the description of the original propulsion systems though – ‘[they were] selected for their small size, good power-to-weight ratio and ability to deliver high power over an extended period.’  With such speeds, big design concerns were aerodynamics to slice through the air as well as considerations for the potentially damaging turbulence that would be created by that big a thing pulling that much air along. The first production version was delivered in 1980, to the delight of its many passengers.

Gert Steegmans has been compared to that train, by none other than the Pocket Rocket himself, Robbie McEwen.  And it’s a pretty apt comparison when you think about it.  Gert was born the same year as the TGV.  His purpose in life appears to be high speed, excellent power-to-weight ratio over extended periods on wheels. While he seems to slice through the air, he tends to create a damaging wake.  However, his passengers have been delighted.  Okay, he’s not a really small propulsion system (6 foot 2) and he’s not from France (Belgium), but he has been known to set high-speed records.  On a mock Top Gear segment it was claimed that Gert (dressed like ‘The Stig’ – a regular character on the BBC TV show) actually pedaled a regular road bike 134 km/h (83 mph!) with the help of an SUV’s wake.  Yeah, you read that right, faster than legally permissible on most major highways in the world.  I’d like to repeat that for emphasis, but it just sounds too crazy.  Check out the video for yourself: (http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/MG_sportnieuws/MG_wielrennen/1.619199) – hope you speak Dutch though.

Here’s that brilliant quote from Robbie after he’d benefited from Steegman’s leadout ‘turbulence’ to take his 3rd stage in the 2006 Tour de France: “It’s like sitting on my own personal TGV. I’m the only one with a ticket and I just have to get off at my station.  When he [Steegmans] started, I really had to jump to go with him, and if I really have to jump to go with somebody in the wheel, it means that nobody can probably follow.”  Pretty high praise from a guy who, at the time he said it, was considered the fastest sprinter in the world.

Gert’s an established leadout man, having also worked for Tom Boonen on QuickStep, but he’s quite capable of winning on his own.  He’s taken some big wins already; 2 big stages in the Tour; once when a stage finished in his home country which is always nice and the following year the concluding stage on the Champs Élysées – which is better than nice, stepping on that podium in Paris.  He’s won stages in the Tour of Belgium, Paris-Nice, and Four Days of Dunkirk.  He’s got a really good record so far.  Big wins, damaging wake.  But he’s poised to make some substantial additions to that record in the next few years.  After last year, he seems like a rider who has something to prove.  That’s often the best kind!

By now, everyone’s heard several versions of the dustups De Steeg (that’s what they called him on that TV segment) had with his former squad Team Katusha.  The biggest of course was his refusal to sign the team’s severe anti-doping clause requiring riders to essentially bankrupt themselves if they failed a test for banned substances (a fine of up to 5 times their annual salary). There was a lot of pressure to sign, particularly after Robbie acquiesced.  But Gert stuck to his guns even in the face of some unpopular public opinion.  The CPA (Association of Professional Cyclists) ruled that the clause was ‘not permissible’ under International Cycling Union (UCI) regulations.  But that didn’t seem to help matters. Another issue that critically effected Gert’s 2009 season was management’s perception of his commitment as noted in press quotes from his general manager who felt he hadn’t put in enough work to overcome injuries and therefore hadn’t earned a place on the squad for some big races. Admirably in response, Gert has only been quoted as saying that 2009 was a lost season, and he’d like to forget about it as quickly as possible.   One can totally understand.  Though I’m not so sure something like that gets forgotten so easily.  I think it may just turn out to be a motivational force behind some really productive pedaling in the near future.

Was Gert too hot to handle after all this?  I mean if you believed some of the stories he looked like a problem.  Well, proof is often in actions rather than printed remarks.  Quickly afterward several teams took action.  De Steeg was rumored to be in contract discussions with just about every pro team out there.  In about a 4-week span press reports had him signing with Milram, than the next week with BBox, then he was a sure bet for Team Columbia.  Guess other teams saw something there that his former team missed.  But when Team RadioShack called it was for real.  Dirk Demol (himself a former pro cyclist and a current Director Sportif on TRS who has worked with Johan Bruyneel in this capacity for many years on various pro teams) is said to have spoken with his fellow countryman a couple of times and helped seal the deal.  Gert has said that he’s really looking forward to this year and really likes Johan’s leadership and guidance saying simply, “He makes the riders better.”

Gert Steegmans is already awfully good.  If he has intentions of getting better, other teams can count on some damaging turbulence.

For the Record – A brief snapshot of just some of Gert Steegmans’ results

1996 – U17 National Road Race Champion

1998 – U19 National Time Trial Champion

2002 – U23 National Time Trial Champion, 1st Zesbergenprijs Harelbeke

2005 – 1st Nationale Sluitingprijs, Stage 1 Tour de Picardie

2006 – Stages 3 & 4 Volta ao Algarve, 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium (1st Stage 5), Stage 2 Tour de Picardie, Stage 3 Four Days of Dunkirk.

2007 – Stage 2 Tour de France, Stage 1 Volta ao Algarve, Stage 3 Three Days of De Panne, 1st Tour de Rijke, 1st Circuit Franco-Belge (won stage 2 and 4).

2008 – Stage 21 Tour de France, 1st Trofeo Calvia, Stage 1 & 2 Paris-Nice, Stage 2 Four Days of Dunkirk, 1st Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen.

2009 – 1st Trofeo Mallorca, Stage 2 Vuelta a Andalucía

By George Hurst, staff writer