This week, a contingent of seven riders of the structure Intermarché-Circus-Wanty is in Drenthe, in The Netherlands, for the European Road Championships.
On Wednesday and Thursday Rein Taaramäe (Estonia) and Jelle Vermoote(Belgium) represented their country in the individual time trial (25th) and mixed relay (7th) respectively, in the run-up to the road races at the end of the week.
This Friday at 9h30 in Hoogeveen, the Walloon structure had four riders at the start of the U23 road race. Jasper Dejaegher will represent Belgium for the first time alongside Jelle Vermoote, next to Madis Mihkels (Estonia) and Francesco Busatto (Italy). The parcours will reach the Col du VAM via Coevorden, Sleen, Schoonoord and Westerbork, with five local laps summing up to 135 kilometer.
On Sunday, Lauren Molengraaf and Mike Teunissen will battle for the title in their home country. First named will start her last race in the junior category at 9h, for 68 kilometer divided in five laps around the Col du VAM. In the afternoon, Teunissen will start the elite race in Assen for a loop of 110 kilometer through the whole province of Drenthe, before reaching the top of the Col du VAM after six laps and exactly 200 kilometer of racing.
Initially, nine riders of the structure were selected for these European Championships, but Axel Huens (France) and Roel van Sintmaartensdijk(The Netherlands) had to withdraw from the selection following illness and the consequences of a crash in the Championships of Flanders in Koolskamp.
"Several important races await in the last weeks of the season, both for me and for Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. That's why I prepared myself with a training camp in Luxembourg this week. I feel good and I have the ambition to play a meaningful role. That might be in function of our sprinter Olav Kooij, but in case of an open race scenario there could also be opportunities for myself. Taking into account the quality of the participating teams this Sunday, it is unlikely that we'll see the same elimination race as in my two participations to the Dutch championships. The unpredictable character is what makes this event attractive. I'm curious to discover the impact of the higher top of the Col du VAM. This is an atypical place in The Netherlands and it is nice to show it to Europe in this way. I'm really looking forward to represent The Netherlands for the first time in two years, in front of our fans."
