The day started for Visma | Lease a Bike in Austria, at the GP Vorarlberg. The 1.2-category race featured many of the sport's future talents, and the yellow-and-black team saw Patryk Goszczurny — already impressive throughout the spring — finish third.
The 20-year-old Pole was outnumbered by a strong Solution Tech-NIPPO-Rali outfit. Colombian Santiago Umba, 23, won the race, with 25-year-old Swiss teammate Alexandre Balmer claiming second.
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Van Kerckhove becomes Belgian time trial champion
Away from the elite racing, the Belgian U23 time trial championships were held in Maarkedal — and it was another Visma | Lease a Bike day.
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Matisse Van Kerckhove was dominant. The 19-year-old Belgian, who has already trained with the WorldTour squad several times this spring, beat 20-year-old Jasper Schoofs of the Soudal Quick-Step development team. Aldo Maarkedal — also Visma | Lease a Bike — completed a team sweep of the podium in third.
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Tulett and Nordhagen deliver for the elite men
Among the professionals, Tulett's third place at Eschborn-Frankfurt was the headline result. "This podium makes me very happy, because it's another confirmation that these are the races that suit me," said the young Briton.
In the Tour de Romandie, Nordhagen did his job, finishing in the front group to hold his fourth place in the general classification. "We're pleased with how the day went. The main goal was for Jørgen not to lose any time in the GC," said directeur sportif Gaëtan Pons.
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Nordhagen targeting top five in Romandie
"That's what we achieved," Pons confirmed. The one minor frustration was that no Visma rider made it into the day's breakaway — though that group was ultimately caught before the finish anyway. The team now looks ahead to a weekend in which two more mountain stages remain in Romandie.
"So far things are going exactly as we want. The original goal was to finish in the top five of the GC and that remains realistic after three stages. There are two tough days to come, so we'll have to give everything to see it through."
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
🇧🇪 #BKTijdrijden
YES! Matisse is the new Belgian U23 national time trial champion! 🔥
He sets the fastest time on the 26 km course in Maarkedal, with Aldo taking the bronze medal. 💪
Congratulations, guys! 👏