In August, Michiel Elijzen announced that he would quit his job as team manger at Belkin. In an interview with Wielerrevue, the Dutchman explains his decision. "At Blanco I was involved in all decisions but my influence became smaller."
At the end of 2012, Michiel Elijzen left Lotto-Belisol to join Rabobank.
"When Rabobank approached me, I had the idea to shake up everything," he said. "Rabobank was an institution. One of the wealthiest WorldTour teams. I didn't leave Lotto because I didn't like to be there but because I thought "Now it ges even better." Maybe I was too fast, too ambitious. In retrospect it might have been good if I had stayed there and had learned a bit more but I just wanted to advance quickly."
His time at Blanco and later Belkin turned out differently than expected.
"I signed with a different team than it ended up being," the ex-pro said. While the team was known as Blanco, everyone had much contact with each other.
"In the management and the management with the riders. I found it nice. And I worked well under these conditions."
But that changed when Belkin arrived as main sponsor.
"I found that the gap between the management and us became bigger. I had the feeling of being less involved in everything. At Blanco I was involved in all decisions but my influence became smaller. I had the feeling that the ambitions that made me join Rabobank and were appreciated in the early days with Blanco, were pushed aside," Elijzen says.
Next year the 32-year-old Dutchman will work at SEG Racing where he has been given the jobs as performance director.
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