33 year old Nico Mattan is one of Belgium's most popular riders. The garrulous Gent-Wevelgem winner likes his experiences so far in America. "This is my first UCI race here," Mattan explained before the Wachovia Trenton Invitational, "as I rode a criterium last year in North Carolina." Mattan took a break after a successful spring classics campaign where he had a controversial ProTour win at Gent-Wevelgem.
"Yeah I have pretty good form now and after Philly, I'll do Tour de Suisse and the (Belgian) national championships," he said, adding that he was if he'll ride the Tour de France at this point. We asked if he'd brought his vociferous fan club, Nico Mattan's Ultras and he laughed and said, "Oh they are back in Belgium training to support me in the next Belgian races!"
