New U23 World Champion Ryan Gal has his eye on the future: 'I have a team for 2027'

2nd place: Nicolas Milesi, INEOS. Third: Hector Alvarez, Lidl-Trek. Fourth: Ashlin Barry, Visma | Lease a Bike. Further down in the top ten are also riders from the development teams of Decathlon, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, and Jayco AlUla, all of whom are highly regarded. But in first place: Ryan Gal of continental level team, Metec.

"Wow, this is definitely a surprise. I wasn’t expecting this when I woke up this morning," was the first thing Gal said at his press conference as the winner. "I was feeling a little under the weather at the start of the week. So I took it day by day, seeing how I felt. Yesterday I started to feel a little better, so I was hoping for a spot in the top 10.”

"When I crossed the finish line, I saw that my lead over the second-place rider was quite large. That's when I realised it was a pretty fast time," he continues.

"I think the middle section was really tough. And I think I still had some energy left at the end, on the final climbs and the small bumps. You really have to go all out on the climbs, and I think that’s where the biggest difference was made,” he explains. “I might have preferred a little more climbing, but overall it was a nice course. And it suited me well.”

"As time went on, I saw a lot of good riders come in, and the time gaps were pretty big. So that's when I really started to realize it was a very good time," said the down-to-earth Gall in English. "Ultimately, I’m still the same rider. It’s just a really nice victory, and we’ll see what the future holds, but for now, I’m just really happy with this win."

In every interview, questions came up about that future—after all, how could it be that a 21-year-old Metec rider still doesn’t officially have a team for 2027? “Normally, I’d already have something lined up with a team, but maybe some details could still change. But that’s something I still need to see and discuss. Unfortunately, I can’t reveal the name yet.”

"There is a verbal agreement," Gal later confirmed to IDL Pro Cycling and De Telegraaf. "There’s a slight delay, but perhaps some minor details can still be changed after today. I think I’m entitled to that. But normally, my future for next year is already set."

Gal then took plenty of time to thank Metec, the team he joined this year after leaving Picnic PostNL. “I could say a lot about it, but I’ll just skip that. They’re already going through a tough time right now. We simply agreed—on both sides—that it wasn’t going to work out.”

"And that's why I really wanted to join Metec. Here, I've simply been given the freedom I need—in terms of facilities, equipment, medical care... Everything was top-notch. At Metec, I was able to develop myself better and just race the way I want to: attacking and going all out. And I was also able to focus on time trials again.”

"What you said at the beginning: 'Look at the riders finishing around me with all that gear...'," Gal says, referring back to the riders who finished behind him. “Michel Megens from Metec also really helped me out with that this year. For which I’m very grateful,” said the man who will normally be leaving the continental team as world champion.