After securing his first professional sprint victories at the Vuelta a Burgos earlier this month, Pavel Bittner is set to lead the sprint line for Team dsm-firmenich PostNL in the final Grand Tour of the season, the Vuelta a España. The 21-year-old Czech rider, who joined the team in 2018 through its Development programme, has never been in better form and is eagerly anticipating his first Grand Tour challenge.
“It’s my first Grand Tour and it’s a bit of an unknown road ahead of me but I’m looking forward to it,” Bittner stated before travelling with his teammates. “I’ve already had conversations with the team about it and I know that I’m going to tap into places that I’ve not been to yet in terms of my limits but that’s getting me excited for the challenge.”
Training and Preparation
On Wednesday, Bittner completed his final training session in Calpe, Spain, before heading to Lisbon for the start of the Vuelta a España over the weekend. This Grand Tour has been part of Bittner’s race programme since the winter training camps, where he and the team’s performance staff planned the 2023 season and beyond. Training camps are crucial for Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, allowing athletes and staff to assess the year’s racing, discuss successes, and identify areas for improvement.
Bittner reflected on the winter discussions: “Since the start of the year the Vuelta has been the plan. We had a sit down in December about the plans and the race came up then. There were some doubts at one point, but we’ve stuck to Plan A. The only uncertainty came from the fact that this is going to be a really hilly Vuelta with lots of mountains. There was just a question over whether I was ready and if this was the right Grand Tour for me to start with but then we looked into it really closely and decided together as a team that it was the best next step in my career.”
Development and Future Prospects
Despite the mountainous route of this year’s Vuelta a España, Bittner and his team believe the time is right for the young sprinter to step up. The team’s decision came after evaluating his performance and growth since joining the squad’s Development programme.
Training camps, particularly in the winter, are integral to the development of Team dsm-firmenich PostNL’s young talent. These camps help in mapping out race programmes and setting goals, ensuring riders like Bittner are prepared for the demands of Grand Tour racing.
