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Junior racing - The stars of the future

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Gotta wonder, is Dutch cycling dead? Like will Visma even have any Dutch young riders in their devo team in the future? Ofcourse there's a few, but they are at Alpecin (Del Grosso, Remijn for example) and there's still DSM but I feel like the Netherlands have a problem with development right now.
Based upon absolutely nothing I reckon Visma will have a spot for Ruud Junior Nagengast and/or Jurgen Zomermaand. They will have to protect the Dutch image in some way.

However, to your point, you are correct. There will always be an influx of some talent since everybody (in the most literal sense of the word) owns a bike here and they'd discover they got some talent for it. Nevertheless, those that do make it probably do so because they have a surplus of talent (or choose to go to Belgium), and not because of some developmental structure. I think this is best shown with the women, where the sport is only kicking off and actual structures or ideas don't matter much. Now that women cycling is actually getting serious, sooner or later other countries will catch up, and then you become reliant on actual development, of which there is very little.

Organising races and such on Dutch turf even on pro level is close to impossible nowadays, actual hellscape. National legislation says there needs to be an X amount of qualified security. If you can hardly get enough crew to organise a pro race, how difficult must it be to gather for something as uninteresting as youth racing? Renewi Tour is basically Belgium Tour 2.0 because of this. Local government do not help much either, because they all seem more interested in securing grand departs to boost the local economy and image, rather than investing in actual sports.
 
Gotta wonder, is Dutch cycling dead? Like will Visma even have any Dutch young riders in their devo team in the future? Ofcourse there's a few, but they are at Alpecin (Del Grosso, Remijn for example) and there's still DSM but I feel like the Netherlands have a problem with development right now.
You're definitely right. Youth development is awful right now, the government makes it practically impossible to organize any races on the public road, the new PVV government doesn't do anything to get the youth sporting again (while we already had a massive drop in sport participation in the Covid years). It always goes and comes in flows, and I think we're not the only European country right now with this challenge (talent from Italy or Germany isn't too overwhelming either), but looking at the Belgian generation right now the differences are just vast.
 
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Not really road cycling but eh, track only seems to have some life here when it's the Olympics, so I am just going to post this here instead. Next week will mark the start of the Junior World Championships, to be held in Luoyang, China. By the end of next week Ashlin Barry will be world champion IP, elimination and omnium. I've also spotted some other familiar names on the entry list, such as the talented Alessio Magagnotti, Finlay Tarling, Matijs Van Strijthem and Wil Holmes, amongst others. On the other hand, major figures like Hector Alvarez are missing.
 
As far as confirmed transfers go, this is all I have gathered up to now:

Albert Withen Philipsen: Lidl-Trek
Hector Alvarez: Lidl-Trek Development
Andrea Bessega: Lidl-Trek Development
Cedric Keppens: Visma | Lease a Bike Development
Patryk Goszczurny: Visma | Lease a Bike Development
Hakon Eiksund Oksnes: Visma | Lease a Bike Development (2026)
Elliot Rowe: Visma | Lease a Bike Development
Ian Kings: Visma | Lease a Bike Development
Matisse Van Kerckhove: Visma | Lease a Bike Development
Kasper Borremans: Bahrain - Victorious (2027, via CTF Victorious)
Jakob Omrzel: CTF Victorious
Felix Orn-Kristoff: Wanty - ReUz - Technord
Axel Van Den Broek: Wanty - ReUz - Technord
Edouard Claisse: Wanty - ReUz - Technord (2026)
Senna Remijn: Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team
Erazem Valjavec: Soudal - Quick-Step Devo Team
Jasper Schoofs: Soudal - Quick-Step Devo Team
Matijs Van Strijthem: Soudal - Quick-Step Devo Team
Aldo Taillieu: Lotto Dstny Development Team
Lucas Van Gils: Lotto Dstny Development Team
Wil Holmes: Hagens Berman Axeon - Jayco
Karl Sagnier: Groupama-FDJ Conti (2026)
Baptiste Gregoire: Groupama-FDJ Conti
Eliott Boulet: Groupama-FDJ Conti
Camille Charret: ARKEA-B&B HOTELS Development Team
Adria Pericas: UAE Team Emirates Gen Z
Finlay Tarling: Israel Premier Tech Academy
Lucas Menanteau: Vendée U (Total Energies)
Axel Bouquet: ARKEA-B&B HOTELS Development Team
Hodei Munoz: Soudal - Quick-Step Devo Team
Edward Cruz Martínez: Bardiani CSF
Martín Herreño: Bardiani CSF
 
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Not really road cycling but eh, track only seems to have some life here when it's the Olympics, so I am just going to post this here instead. Next week will mark the start of the Junior World Championships, to be held in Luoyang, China. By the end of next week Ashlin Barry will be world champion IP, elimination and omnium. I've also spotted some other familiar names on the entry list, such as the talented Alessio Magagnotti, Finlay Tarling, Matijs Van Strijthem and Wil Holmes, amongst others. On the other hand, major figures like Hector Alvarez are missing.

Woah, even an official live stream available. Big fan of the Chinese. Unlike the XCO world championships next week in Pal Arinsal, who don't even bother to give us images despite working with set cameras on a circuit...
 
Hector Alvarez just got smacked by Henrique Ribeiro Bravo, a Brazilian I genuinely had never heard of. Puts more than a minute into everyone on Laguna Negra. We have finally found the heir to the throne belonging to Vinicius Rangel. Movistar, sign this guy asap.

Edit: I have heard of him, for Henrique Ribeiro currently sits 3rd in the world ranking in XCO, only 20 somewhat points behind one Albert Withen Philipsen.
 
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Hector Alvarez certainly tried to make a comeback on Henrique Bravo, but comes 14 seconds short of taking the GC. The past two days are a perfect example of why the Spanish junior circuit needs to toughen some of its races up. Pablo Torres got overshadowed by the likes of Alvarez, Pericas and Alvaro Garcia, because there is so little climbing in the races. The odd Brenes in Besaya or Pielago in Talavera is as far as it usually goes.

Fast forward a few months to the Abruzzo and all of a sudden it turns out Spain have another gem of a climber. It's no coincidence Pericas often has to resort to races in France to get what he needs. Yesterday we got the much needed MTF on Laguna Negra, and a guy who is merely here to get some extra form for the XCO world championships next week and he kills everyone, Alvarez and Cubillas included.

Some WorldTour program ought to sign Reef Roberts asap btw, he has been killing it since he came over to Europe. Another interesting Kiwi prospect.
 
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Axel Bouquet: ARKEA-B&B HOTELS Development Team
Hodei Munoz: Soudal - Quick-Step Devo Team
Edward Cruz Martínez: Bardiani CSF
Martín Herreño: Bardiani CSF
What about Seixas? Is he negotiating something more juicy than Ag2r? They must surely seem somewhat attractive now that they've gotten their act together a bit. Would love to see him go there and not to one of the real big money teams.
 
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What about Seixas? Is he negotiating something more juicy than Ag2r? They must surely seem somewhat attractive now that they've gotten their act together a bit. Would love to see him go there and not to one of the real big money teams.
As of now I have heard or read nothing about Seixas. The same applies to the likes of Innhaug Dahl, Sparfel and Chaleil, who, too, should deserve a spot.

Since AG2R are often rather late with their announcements, I am quite confident Seixas will remain within the structure. They haven't announced anyone thus far. Last year it took until September for them to announce the likes of Oscar Chambo and Blaise as well, I feel it will be no different this time.
 
In the light of flying Spaniards, I am very intrigued by Benjamin Noval, the son of, well, Benjamin Noval, who will be a first year junior next season. He has been ridiculously dominant on just about every terrain, including wins in Aragon and Besaya, which is almost a stamp of approval for a good career. He hails from MMR, the school of Samuel Sanchez.

He beat Kristian Haugetun by more than a minute in a half in the former. Haugetun is a Norwegian, and is the winner of the Peace Race this year. Aside from flying on the bike, he is allegedly a monster in the triathlon as well.

Definitely two major players to follow next year.
 
After losing Tour de l'avenir, Jarno Widar is lashing out at Lotto-Destiny. 2 months ago he said that he was riding too much to the team, but they didn't listen to him. Fast forward, and he was completely destroyed because he was too tired.

@Samamba did he sign a contract all the way until 2027 with LDS?

 
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