The last time I saw Hans Becking was at Val di Sole in 2018. Having competed in a marathon MTB event in the Trento area the previous day, Hans popped into our setup to say hello to his old team and also encourage a young David Nordemann, then still in his second year as an U23. Life was good in the marathon racing scene, he said to me, before adding that he was now a "veganist" and that is how I should pronounce "vegan" given that I was working for a Dutch team. End of story.
Fast forward to the now and Hans, together with teammate José Dias, scooped three stage wins at the Cape Epic. Thanks to their success, Becking and Dias were familiar names throughout the week long slog through the Western Cape. Lesser known, though, is that Hans got a last minute call up to the Tour of Britain just over a month ago.
The reason? A Continental level New Zealand team were short of riders due to visa expirations and had to fill their roster. Short of specific preparation, Hans hastily made his way to "mud island" and played a key team role during the eight day race between Penzance and Aberdeen dominated by Wout Van Aert. Not bad for a few days notice and in the midst of a long off road season that didn't involve much road racing.
Goed gedaan.
