Before I start ranting about anything and everything, it's helpful to say that a significant portion of all this was typed before the final games. So it may be that there is a rider who wins the Watersley with a hundred minutes ahead and crowns himself as the absolute top favourite, it is possible that someone falls hard, but this is not mentioned anywhere. It is what it is.
Allow me to start with the country I'm bombarding as a top favourite. Why land and not runner? Because Belgium is extremely *** damn strong in width. I see three guys here that you can safely give 5 stars, supplemented with two guys who could have just fallen into the stars. And then they leave Niels Driesen, Cedric Keppens and Jasper Schoofs at home, jeez. I'll start with Sente Sentjens, the most interesting. Not because he's the best (he is), but because he epitomizes why this junior generation is more difficult than ever to predict. Here's the thing: since this year, the UCI has lifted the chain restrictions. It is now up to organizers and unions themselves to determine whether or not they want to maintain them. Enter Sente Sentjens. This year almost unbeatable in the time trial. And yet only 5th in the national championship, how is that possible? Right, Belgian Cycling adhered to a maximum of 52x14. Does Sente potentially have a problem here? We're going to experience it. Steffen De Schuyteneer is in top form this year and proved it once again last week with a final victory in Kontich, against the same Sente Sentjens. And yet his year disappoints me a bit. Before the season started I had designated him as the winner of 2023, there are currently four. Very big victories, by the way, with Gent-Wevelgem as the pinnacle. The strongest win of the season. He attacked at 80 kilometers in the pouring rain, was caught up again by Sente Sentjens and Theodor Clemmensen, to then just drive away and win solo. Then you are peerless. The Schuyteneer is also very fast, but so is Sentjens. I foresee a beautiful duo sprint. Speaking of kings of victory, time for number three: Jarno Widar. He won't be much bigger than the average gnome in the garden, but there's an awful lot of power in those legs. What he lacks in length he makes up for in strength. Major races that we know from the pros such as the Ronde and Liège are not very extreme among the juniors, but I still want to map out how diverse he is: Widar won Brussels-Kuurne-Brussels, the Tour of Flanders this year and the Classic of the Alps. That is a list that would impress Wout and Pogacar. If we should believe the rumor mill, he will become a professional at the Lotto next year, of course with the luxury of taking a step back to the promises as they did this year with Segaert. That would be quite a coup d'etat from Kurt and then Yana can carefully start on a statue. The question is which Widar we will see. Unbeatable on his best days, but quite often absent. That doesn't make him the top favourite, but I wouldn't give him ten meters either. Support comes from his teammate, Lars Vanden Heede. Even one that has appeared on the radar of the Lotto and has received various invitations to participate in a training camp here and there. It says a lot about the Belgians when Vanden Heede is only fourth in line. This boy takes place of honor after place of honor and incidentally also wins his races. Can you make it to push such a rider into a servant role? I'm afraid he has no other option. It will be interesting to see how the Belgians will handle it. They have the ideal pawn to make war very early, in the person of Victor Vaneeckhoutte. This is a real attacker. Also a teammate of Widar, by the way. Set up an early flight and Vaneeckhoutte will be there. This can put many countries in a difficult position early on. Move heaven and earth to get him back and run the risk of being isolated against Sentjens, De Schuyteneer and Widar? That's asking for trouble. I say go for it. Vaneeckhoutte in flight. And now.
The inevitable Norwegians, they are here. Let's not waste time: Jorgen Nordhagen is the best of them all. In recent weeks many reports have surfaced about the physiological mutant that Vingegaard is supposed to be, I would like to know how high Nordhagen scores on this scale. Because, unlike Vingegaard, Nordhagen does have the papers. He wasn't chopping off fish heads somewhere, but was mainly concerned with impressing as an athlete. I know more about how to perform open heart surgery than I do about skiing, but if you look at the list of highest VO2 maxs ever recorded, for example, it's full of skiers. And what is Nordhagen? Correct. On those two slats he seems to do things that people haven't seen since Klæbo and Northug, whatever that means. I have no idea, but it sounded interesting! I also refer to Heywoodu for concretising this remark. It announced itself last year, it has been confirmed this year. He recently went on an internship in Slovenia with his upcoming Jumbo-Visma team, so you know. Problem: This is not a course for Nordhagen. He, of all, needs a knockout race. Survival of the fittest and he wins. Only arriving will be the motto, because it is by no means explosive. What I do think is certain is that as an individual he is the absolute number #1. In any case, it makes him the top favorite for the time trial for me. Whether there is also gold in the road race will depend on many factors. Factors that are not entirely within his control, such as the weather. Nordhagen's class also makes it interesting for other countries to force him into a tricky situation. Situation: Sente Sentjens and Albert Withen drive away, Steffen De Schuyteneer and Theodor Storm ride full on the rear wheels in the peloton, killing every move. Good luck Jorgen, go get it back. That brings me to his team. What a fantastic bridge this is. The previous comment makes it seem like Nordhagen will be all alone in the final, but that's not the case! In Glasgow it sometimes storms, but even in the case of a sun and 25 degrees there will in any case be a storm: Storm Ingebrigtsen. We have arrived at the number 2 of the Strade Bianche, then you can do something. Ingebrigtsen is not a rider that makes you fall off your seat when looking at his results, but he is Nordhagen's loyal lieutenant. He was very important in the Peace Race, for example, where he led many, many kilometers. You also need those kind of riders. There is no shortage of help, because Kasper Haugland can also be counted on. Not entirely coincidentally also Nordhagen's teammate at Lillehammer. This boy is always there. In the broader picture he can't do much of it, but in the service of Nordhagen he is of gold value. With that he plays an important role in the road race from Glasgow. If Nordhagen wants to win he needs a hard course, it's up to Haugland to provide that. Should it be the case that Nordhagen did not get away or the course is simply very closed at all, then the eyes will have to be focused on Felix Orn here. Full name, Felix Orn-Kristoff. Yes, this is Alexander's younger brother. Same mother, different father. Felix is a freshman, but one who has already shown very encouraging things this year. Judging purely from the results, he lacks the absolute top speed to compete in bunch sprints. He stands out most in sprints of small(er) groups. In that respect he looks a bit like his brother. Alexander became great because of his inhuman content. The longer the course, the better it gets. Whether Felix has the same gift we will see. Not that this course is very terribly long, but that entirely aside.
If there is a country that can threaten Belgium in numerical surplus, it is the equally unavoidable Danes. And watch out. The super talent is here. Albert, oh Albert. Albert Withen, or Albert Philipsen? I was completely confused. One database calls him Albert Philipsen, the other Albert Withen and Feltet stuck to Albert Withen Philipsen for a long time. The bottom stone had to go up. How does this work? After checking with some Danish friends, it turns out that we should call him Albert Withen. I think it sounds less nice than Albert Philipsen, but that doesn't matter. This kid is an incredibly repulsive beyond measure fantastic phenomenon, and he's only a freshman. The goal is two golds, here in the road race and later this week on the mountain bike. I'll give him a good chance. Barring bad luck, there will really be nothing to do on the mountain bike, despite a far from ideal starting row. However, it already started this year in the CX. As a complete nono he was there at the start in Hoogerheide, never driven a cross of significance. From the last row he eventually rode to an 8th place, just 44 seconds behind Bisiaux. Fast forward to the Peace Race, and he will be involved in bunch sprints, in the time trial, in the queen stage to Lotimerice. In the end, he just missed out on the podium, as Senna Remijn took quite a few bonuses in the last stage and bounced over him. Less than a week later it was time for the World Cup in Nove Mesto. At the very back of course, because as a newcomer he has no points. Blink his eyes twice and he was already ahead, past world #1 Sivert Ekroll. Talked out of the wheel and on to victory. In a hurry he also became Danish champion twice, before his magnum opus took place in Anadia, at the European championship. The starting position was a bit more favorable this time, somewhere from row 6 or so. It took him two laps to get into the #1 position before eventually going on to a one-minute victory. That is really unseen. You understand, Albert Withen is a genius. As if that wasn't enough, they also bring Theodor Storm. A similar story to De Schuyteneer, a good year but still slightly below my expectations. At the end of the previous season, a duel was announced this year: Nordhagen against Storm. Not so much in a direct confrontation, but in the points. The year started well. Even before Mons and Pevele, Storm attacked. He rode to the leading group, drove them out one by one, before being caught by a group of other favorites at Carrefour de l'Arbre, with whom he would ride to the finish. Despite many efforts, he still had the strength to ride to a podium place in Roubaix in that group. He seemed to have left with that, but the big fish are not yet out. A world title would still make everything forget. Then there's that other Theodor, whose last name is Clemmensen. Like Storm, Clemmensen came in, albeit a year later, with great letters of nobility. This brainy smurf came in like a rocket. Reference has already been made to the outcome in Gent-Wevelgem, where he managed to finish second in hellish circumstances as a 16-year-old. That could be something, because Glasgow is also not averse to a little rain. Since then it has become a bit quieter around Clemmensen, but I don't want to be guided by that. At Auto-Eder you are good, but also bad. 8 riders, 8 leaders. See how to do it. Then there is the constancy itself, Patrick Frydkjaer. Find a result and there is a good chance that he will be somewhere in the top ten. If we were to blindly follow the rankings, this would even be the best Dane of the year. I don't go along with that, but I can't get around his curve. It is as straight as can be. On the one hand this shows that he is always on time, on the other hand it shows that the big peaks are not there. Due to the enormous Danish strength in width, this is quite a candidate for world champion, but then everything has to fall just right. Andreas Krogh is the most unknown of the bunch and I don't really have much to say about it, because I don't know him. His list of results shows that he hardly ever leaves Denmark, but that he always scores high there. In the two times that he did get on his bike outside his own borders, he immediately won twice. Maybe an undiscovered phenomenon, probably not.
Normally I always keep important individuals for the close, but I'm going to do that differently now. It wouldn't feel right and wouldn't be fair to wait with AJ. August is a World Champion candidate and a very big one. Problem: championships are not in his favor. He was also there in Hoogerheide and he started for gold. The starting gun still echoed through the streets or half of the race was already off course. A fall. Biggest Victim: Andrew August. From the first row, to the last place. Photos of his race are still circulating, where there was hardly a shirt to be seen due to that crash and his butt was very open. Despite this, he drove lap times that were good for gold that day. A huge missed opportunity, and therefore it is time for revenge. Form to become world champion is there. In Valromey, the toughest stage race on the junior calendar, he first dominated Plan d'Hotonnes and then also triumphed on the Grand Colombier. In the Peace Race he fought two major duels with Nordhagen. Two that he would narrowly lose, however. In Bohemia he won again, by winning a race dominated by Auto-Eder. Eight minutes ahead. You see, AJ is a very big one. A future at INEOS beckons, although an intermediate step at Axeon will be the next stop. The support compared to other favorites is less. The most notable is David Thompson, a freshman. In addition, winner of the Valley of the Sun, one of the most important junior races in America. He won it from the breakaway, where the peloton in Phoenix didn't really feel like riding. Reality tells us that in the time trial couldn't compete with AJ and the phenomenon Ashlin Barry (write that name down for next year!). Another important individual is Oscar Chamberlain, an unorthodox Australian with a giant mat on his neck. In the land of climbers, sprinters and time trialists, Chamberlain is a true classic rider. We are talking here about the number two of Roubaix, but above all about a hell of a driver. Last year in my own country it was my expectation that it was all just too early. That turned out to be quite correct in hindsight, but now he's done. He recently collected one place of honor after another in the Sint Martinusprijs, but he took the strongest punch in the team time trial there. Thanks to his executioner work that day, Australia finished 2nd with four men, two less than the rest. Yes, Oscar is going to score high. He has support from Wil Holmes, another Australian from whom I expect a lot. However, this will only be for next year I think. Holmes is a freshman and I think this is still too early for his own chance, but Chambo will certainly not be alone. Joshua Cranage will also be there, a little less known within the international peloton, but still this is simply the Australian champion.
Although not every Scot is very happy with it, the United Kingdom is really the homeland here in Glasgow. And they will show that too, because they deliver a gigantic strong team. This is surely in the top three strong blocks, moreover with riders who complement each other perfectly and is therefore equipped with every possible scenario. I see three potential medal candidates here, all three of which coincidentally have been captured by Jumbo, hooray. The rich get richer. The dream leader of the entire game is probably Tomos Pattinson. As mentioned earlier, a Liège among the juniors is not everything, but he did win there. As he is actually everywhere at the appointment. Gipuzcoa, Saarland, Gironde. Those are really tough competitions with strong fields of participants and he was on the podium everywhere. He really isn't slow at that and there are individuals who really can't take him to the line. The second is Matthew Brennan, who also belongs to the Jumbo trio. Brennan has had a somewhat strange year, because the number of race days is somewhere at 10. Among those ten was the hard-fought Guido Reybroeck, a stage race in Damme, Belgium, which he managed to win against serious competition. I call a Chamberlain, I call a De Schuyteneer, I call a Sentjens, I call a Remijn. His race in Roubaix is also striking. Whoever looks at the result will be a 38th place, but whoever follows the race saw the only rider who went with Theodor Storm and managed to survive until Carrefour de l'Arbre. Those are things you have to take with you and even though the results may not be huge, I write them down. Partly inspired by his form that he displayed on the track, where he set a world record in the individual pursuit. It was broken again three minutes later (more on that later), but Brennan was the fastest ever for a while. The third of the whole game is Jed Smithson, the sprinter on duty. The story about Smithson's eyes is, I hope, known by now. So he really doesn't see anything at all. But what he lacks in vision he makes up for in speed. Smithson is lightning fast and in the case of a sprint with a large group maybe the man to beat. His gabarit resembles that of Marcel Kittel, that must be for a reason. The fact that we are now going to talk about Ben Wiggins, but are already with rider four shows that this team is really very strong. Yes, this is the son of the great Bradley Wiggins. Wiggins is the overall winner of Morbihan, an important stage race in Brittany. Like his father, Ben is first and foremost a time trialist, so I think that's what he'll be focusing on the most. This season he already regularly crossed swords with Sentjens, duels that he lost one by one, that is. The last of the bunch is Seb Gridley, a rider I have less to say about, because I don't know him very well. As a freshman he is the British CX champion, count your winnings.
The Germans are looking for a successor to Emil Herzog, the Wollongong world champion. Is there? Yes, but also not, insofar as that makes any sense. Paul Fietzke is the name. A great talent of the inevitable Auto Eder. Fairly comparable to Herzog, moreover. Herzog is a souped-up Schachmann, Fietzke is not far off in profile. He was unbeatable last year in Germany and Switzerland. Ralph Denk knew enough. And it wasn't long before he started impressing the juniors as well. A final victory in Cottbus, a 4th place in Roubaix, an 11th place in the Strade Bianche, a 5th place in the Peace Race. Those are results that make you a candidate for world champion, but Fietzke is a freshman and is therefore still slightly behind the 2005 generation. This is one of the better first-years there is, so if the rainbow jersey for the category is retained, then I will look primarily to Paul. I won't say which of the two. His big competitor on German roads is now logically his teammate. I'm talking about Louis Leidert, also a candidate for honorary metal. Where Fietzke is, as appointed, within the BORA stable, Leidert has recently been picked up by Bahrain, although his mother team is Rose, where many Germans come from. Leidert's problem, on the other hand, is that, although he is always at the meeting, he doesn't win much. Once this year, and that was immediately a big one: the final classification in Saarland, where he laid the foundation in the time trial. In that respect he is very similar to the Dane Frydkjaer. Take a look at the rankings and he's gigantic, take a look at the victories and he's nowhere to be seen. Maybe I'll give him a star and he'll probably finish in the top ten, but I don't think winning will be possible. Then we have a third interesting German, again a freshman. Like Leidert, he belongs to Rose. I'm talking about Ian Kings, the national champion. If Kings is going to unpack anywhere this week, it will be in the time trial. Not able to get close to Nordhagen or Sentjens, but invariably in the first 7. We can forget about him for the road race. There is also Bruno Kessler, someone I would have given a much bigger mention earlier this year, were it not for the fact that he has been missing for a while now. He has not raced since the German championships. That is easily more than two months without a course. The reason eludes me, but with a DNF, a fall with damage is the only logical conclusion. He was also very well on his way earlier this year, by competing in major competitions for the (honorary) prizes. When Bisiaux decided to keep house on the Velzeke cobblestones, Kessler went along extraordinarily smoothly. A mention, for the effort. Just ask about the shape.
Not a paragraph further, but I want to come back to my Paul Fietzke statement. Still I leave it because I don't feel like typing a new story again, yes I do. Here it goes: if the rainbow is kept for the category, it will be Seixas. So we have arrived at the French. France is swimming in talent and it was about time. For a country that has so many cyclists, that has so many teams, that has so many layers and levels, it is a miracle that they are so relatively bad. Fortunately, that is now changing, it has even been going on for a while, and Paul Seixas is the next to fall into a pot of talent. Seixas is a phenomenon, a giant. Literal. He's quite tall for his profile. And also very thin. He comes from the AG2R school, then you know it's good, because everything that comes from the AG2R junior team is on a moped. It's a bit of bad luck that they didn't think about a team of promises and see everything leave for the competitor, but those are details! Seixas is a crosser, just like world champion Leo Bisiaux, by the way, but he is not here. The form of Seixas is very good. Last week he was second in Valromey, where he competed with AJ on Plan d'Hotonnes and the Grand Colombier. He lost the sprint twice, but was there twice. Despite several attempts, AJ was unable to release him, but also not the other way around. Previously he was also 3rd in the Eroica, 5th in the Strade Bianche, 2nd in the Classic of the Alps and winner of the Trofeo Dorigo. In other words, Seixas is a very diverse driver. I don't know what it will end up being, because he can actually go either way. With the U17 I've seen him dominate a race on cobblestones, this year he especially excels uphill. The question will be what he likes most as a professional, but that doesn't matter with the juniors. Seixas would play a huge role in every field, including here. This is going to be a big one, figuratively this time. Okay, so no Bisiaux, but Matys Grisel. This is also very dangerous. A real classic rider, with speed in his legs. This year's winner of Roubaix, what do you want? Another rider from the AG2R school. He excelled in the one-day races, but also asserted himself with a victory in a bunch sprint in the Vredeskoers. That is quite a dangerous combination here in Glasgow, two aspects that are perfect for the race here. Grisel comes here a little frustrated. In the Valromey he was put off perfectly twice by his team, only to fail to deliver twice. He was so deeply moved by this that he burst into tears in Alexandre Pacot's arms. Poor boy. That does not detract from his status further, Grisel is a very dangerous one. They also bring Maxime Decomble, whom I also rave about. I just don't really know what to say about a climber on this course, so I won't say anything.
The Dutch hope is called Senna Remijn, another cyclocross rider. This is the silver medal of Hoogerheide, ladies and gentlemen. But he is much more than that. This is also the winner of the Pevele Classic, a competition that is not entirely coincidentally about Mons and Pevele about eight times. He was also on the final podium in the Peace Race, as said by winning the stage on the final day and crawling to place #3 behind the unapproachable Nordhagen and August through the bonuses. He also stood out in the Valromey. Not only by winning a stage, but mainly by crashing just before the line with Kamiel Eekman and thus crossing the finish line in a couple. Anyway, Remijn is very good, the best Dutchman from the generation 05/06. But as is often the case for first-years, I suspect that it is still a bit too early to follow when the big guns start. He is very fast, so that certainly speaks to his advantage. What else to say about the Dutch? The rinse is quite thin. We see Sjors Lugthart, who will go to Jumbo next year. Since that announcement at the beginning of June, however, he has hardly been able to move forward. He was only 3rd at the NK time trial, which is really his part. It is therefore likely that he will focus on that here in Glasgow. I have confidence in Karst Hayma. He has ridden a number of strong competitions in international top fields. Not enough for a favorite status, but he was not absent. 8th in the Eroica. Admittedly at 3 minutes, you are still standing between a number of established names. His most striking result is his victory in Luxembourg, where he beat Jed Smithson in Bob Jungels' match. The forward man for the Netherlands should have been Viego Tijssen this year. He is there, but as is often the case, he has not been able to continue the line that was started as a freshman. In the shadow of Huising and Van der Meulen, he drove some very strong races, but it is not running so well anymore. Therefore, based on reputation, it gets a mention. I see Thom van der Werff in it again, but he has mainly made a name for himself this year as an attacker. That makes it, in a possibly different role, quite difficult to say how and what it contains. If it's up to me, he's busy 24/7 with Remijn dropping off somewhere, that's good enough.
Spain, oh Spain. They are collectively drunk. Drunk on the talent. The years of Carlos Rodriguez against Juan Ayuso are just behind us, or the next game has long been set in motion. I present to you: Hector Alvarez against Adria Pericas. The contrasts between the two couldn't be greater. Alvarez is built like an ox, Pericas is a little climber. What is interesting, however, is that unlike Carlos and Ayuso, these two do come from the same year of birth. So next year we can still enjoy these two. Spaniards are generally not very good when it comes to crossing the border. When Simmons became world champion in Harrogate, Ayuso and Rodriguez were ridden 5 and 7 minutes respectively. Carlos was also allowed to deliver some sloppy work in the time trial, where he managed to score a very handsome 34th place. That of course does not correspond at all with the rider we know now and then. Whether we are directly dealing here with two candidate world champions goes very far, but they are extremely talented. Alvarez could just be the real winner of 2023, but it is all still limited to national or local competitions. He took his strongest punch in Montalcino. And whoever says Montalcino says gravel. This is the junior version of the Strade Bianche and in a terribly strong field he finished 3rd that day, an admirable achievement. His performance on the track should also not go unmentioned. Since a week ago he is European champion omnium, that too. Whether he comes to Glasgow with track ambitions in mind I honestly don't know, but don't be surprised if he shows up in Cali too. An underexposed point of Alvarez is his age. He was born in December, so he is effectively racing against riders who are two years older than him. Pericas in turn wins less, but does run a more international program. A few days before the Strade Bianche there was also a stage race in Siena, where Pericas would finish 5th. Last week he impressed again in Valromey, where he finished 7th on Grand Colombier. What stands out most about Pericas is Roubaix. With his 18 kilos he just went with the favorites over Carrefour de l'Arbre and Mons en Pevele. Now a 23rd place is nothing to write home about, for someone with his build it is quite an achievement. They are also supplemented by Markel Beloki, the son of. In addition, the national time trial champion, but also a sophomore. Markel comes from the school of MRR, that is Samuel Sanchez's team (that yes), there you had a beautiful couple not very long ago. So you had Markel Beloki, the son of Joseba, you had Unai Sanchez, the son of Samu, you had Marcos Freire, the son of Oscar, you had Yeray Sastre, the son of Carlos, and you had Benjamin Noval, the son of , yes, Benjamin. To top it off, Alejandro Valverde also has a link to the whole thing. Not because of his sons, but because he too has a team. You can't make it up, but he runs that team with Fuentes. To immediately spoil the fun again, it's not about Eufemiano. Okay, on to the important stuff. From that team comes Alvaro Garcia, the national champion on the road. What's interesting is that Garcia was on the podium in Madrid last week. In a U23 match. That is of course a punishment for a junior. Not the highest level, but competing there against final winner Diego Uriarte is not nothing at all. This Uriarte will be a professional at Kern Pharma next year, just to put the relationship on the table. Go Hector, go Adria.
The Italians are going to be hard on the appointment at the world championships. The only question is, where? A considerable part of the Italian core is bilingual. They speak the language of the road and the track. Because Bennati is so incredibly slow, I don't know who will start and who won't. There is a chance that a few guys prefer the track, the world championships of which are in Cali in two weeks. I will therefore dispense with this piece of prose. If an unnamed Italian rides to the world title later, it's not my fault. Anyway, in Anadia, a few weeks ago, the track boys drove one world record after another. In the team pursuit they ran 3:53:09, unprecedented figures for the juniors. More than 5 counts faster than the previous world record and just good for a solid place in the top ten at the youngest world championship for the professionals in Roubaix. On the individual level, Luca Giaimi set a world record in the individual pursuit. Brennan was still enjoying his great performance, or Giaimi just went down again by a few hundredths. Rarely seen. That said, come what may, the biggest Italian hope for the road race is not Luca Giaimi, I think, but Simone Gualdi. After all, in a very strong field, it was he who could most firmly threaten Nordhagen in the tough ride to Chiusdino. Then you can go for a bike ride. It is striking that more and more Italians are crossing the borders, to teams with a better structure. So is Gualdi, who we can see next year with the training team of Intermarche. Italy also has a very strong freshman. I'm talking about Andrea Bessega. The question is what exactly he will be worth in this international top field, because Andea has not ridden very much outside Italy yet. Nevertheless, the results he achieves here are so encouraging that I have confidence in them. His only international participation so far was in Morbihan, where he immediately won a stage. His form is certainly good, as witnessed by his performances. World champion, that may come a year too soon, but this boy is going to be there. In the case of a sprint, we end up with the aforementioned Luca Giaimi. Giaimi's credentials against international competition are scant, but he can cycle very fast. So the only question is, does he feel like it? And if so, how does he want to do it? Giaimi is a sprinting time trialist. Or a time-trial sprinter. He has regularly won his races in a mass sprint, but is also not averse to turning on the after burners in the last kilometer and just driving away hard. The counter already stands at 7 victories this year, which is just outside his many world and European track titles. It makes him dangerous and unpredictable. Finally, I would like to mention Juan David Sierra. They stole this from us. It's a great shame. Sierra is an Italian Colombian. Sierra is also part of the searing four of the world record in Anadia. Sierra also became individual European champion, I think on the scratch, I'm not sure anymore. Not a favorite or anything for a world title, so they can keep it again now.
I can now act very surprised with the fact that Slovenia has an unparalleled team, but, yes, that is no longer news under the sun. The days when it was a piece of land where occasionally a cyclist broke through through Italy. They're all at the rendezvous now, with quite a bit of nepotism. Zak Erzen, the son of the obscure Bahrain boss Milan Erzen. Time for Europol to visit some hotel rooms in Glasgow. Zak is a damn good runner, it has to be said. We note Erazem Valjavec. That is also a familiar sounding name. Yes, this is Tadej Valjavec's son. He's a freshman and came over to the juniors with quite a few Italian credentials and he hasn't disappointed. 6th in Roubaix, imitate him. However, I want to focus most of my attention on one of this year's revelations. Then I'm talking about Jakob Omrzel. I had never heard of it until he kept dancing across my screen in Siena. This is also a freshman, one who has already thrown quite a few punches. In a tough ride to Chiusdino he was here competing with Nordhagen, Gualdi, Seixas and Pericas. And he didn't want to budge. When Nordhagen had had enough of it, he couldn't come along, but he was best of the rest that day, a big achievement. If he hadn't been saddled with a bunch of irregulars in the team time trial, he would have even been on the podium, but unfortunately. The message should be clear, this Omrzel can ride a bike and I am very much looking forward to what it will be worth next year. For now, a mention, because a world title will not be there this year.
Time to talk about individuals. Starting with a hypothetical situation: no one gets away, the peloton is compact, we go to a sprint with a (large) group. Major countries are positioning themselves. We see the Belgians, we see the Danes. Spain and Italy report. The United Kingdom qualifies and pulls everything in line for Jed Smithson. The sprint is picked up and a Czech wins? Yes, dear people, this is possible. Krystof Kral is the name. Kral is a freshman, but oh-so fast. At the beginning of the year still attracting Karl Kurits (more on that later), a winner since April. Ralph Denk lay in the bushes and saw that it was good, because this is also an Auto Eder product. Also successful in the Peace Race, the rest was not in the picture. With the finger in front of the mouth, the rest was referred to the background. What is striking is that it mainly excels in short(er) journeys. That is something different from those 128 kilometers here, we will see if he already has the content. Kral also has a good teammate, it bears the name Martin Barta. However, I had expected a lot more from Barta, also from Auto Eder, this year. He has not been able to continue the line he set last year. That does not deprive him of a place of honor here, but he is not the (distant) outsider that he could have been. You would normally count the Swiss among the strong blocs, but I'm going to stick to an individual anyway. And then we can only end up with Ilian Barhoumi. Not a cyclist, but a mountain biker. Like many, he is also from AG2R. The Strade Bianche, which has already been mentioned, is none other than him as the winner. In Montalcino he threw minutes, he was completely in his sas. I was also once again very impressed with his works in the Valromey. After a strong team time trial with AG2R, he was pretty good at the front. So much so that he took the yellow in the stage to Plan d'Hotonnes. Well, in all honesty I must say that this was also a bit of luck. Barhoumi was not with AJ, Seixas and Fayolle. However, the three began to sur placc within sight of the harbor, allowing Barhoumi to return and narrowly take over the leader's jersey by one second to be exact. It was obvious that he had no chance to keep the yellow at Grand Colombier. Lifting that heavy body up, that's no sinecure. But he defended himself really well. The first meters up and he already dropped out. Bad? No. Smart. He chose his own pace and passed one rider after another. As a result, he managed to save his podium in a ride that was not his own. With its shape, it is therefore mustache. We should also mention the Finns. There are only two of them, but they aren't all that bad either. Kasper Borremans, that's a real Finnish surname. A young lad from Bahrain, who first caught my eye this year in the Gipuzkoa. The name says it all, that is a race in the Basque Country and those races are always tough. He already came to report again in the E3, where he finished nicely on the podium after one Sentjens, but ahead of Remijn, Brennan, Widar and Seixas. The name of Karl Kurits has already been mentioned. He is not as fast as his predecessor Romet Pajur, but he is by no means slow. The Uruguayan named Ciro Perez should also be mentioned. Why? Therefore. This boy has been making Belgium unsafe all year round with a cartload of honorary places. Well, it's Jip & Janneke level, but that shouldn't spoil the fun. I fully support Ciro. Finally, I would also like to talk about a Romanian. One with a hairline. His name is Luca Campean. I have no more to say about it.
Prognosis? A Belgian will win, I think. The wheel of fortune says Sente Sentjens, therefore Albert Withen will take home the gold. Oscar Chamberlain joins the podium. A beautiful, ever so wrong star formation to follow shortly before the race.
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