The saying ‘never go back’ isn’t one that Louis Meintjes dwelled upon when he re-signed with Dimension Data, and all indications so far are that the South African has settled back with his old team after a two-year sabbatical with Lampre and UAE Team Emirates.
Starting his season at the Volta ao Algarve, the 25-year-old put in a respectable performance on the first summit finish of the race, and although his ride in the individual time trial on Friday was below his best, Meintjes is relaxed about his form as he builds towards the Giro d’Italia in May.
“I’m here to see if I’m on track. If the form is good then you can try and get something for your work but it’s not a major goal, in that we come here looking to start with a bang. It’s not the end of the world if we still see there’s more work to be done,” he told Cyclingnews at the start of stage 1.
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Four stages later and Meintjes can be relatively content with his ride so far. He is a notoriously quiet at this point in the year, tending to find form in late spring and summer. Friday's individual test against the clock was his first competitive outing on his Cervelo time trial bike, and although the result didn’t stand out, the climber still took positives from the experience.
“The time trial could have gone better," he said. "It wasn’t a disaster, but I need some improving. This is my first time here, and the guys say that Sunday’s climb should be better for me. I’ll give it another go, and I felt good on the climb the other day. If everything goes well, then it could be a good day.
“Friday was my first real hit on the new time trial bike, and going full gas. I felt good, I just wasn’t as fast as I would have liked.”
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