Nolan Huysmans sprints to the first podium place among the juniors in West Flanders: “E3 and Gent-Wevelgem are marked in red in the agenda” (Opwijk)

Nolan Huysmans easily won the peloton sprint in Kortemark in West Flanders last weekend. This gave the 18-year-old Opwijker the final podium place behind two escapees. The second-year junior from Cannibal B Victorious immediately showed that he is ready for the spring classics.

And say that after barely four kilometers Huysmans could have almost crossed his path. “After four kilometers I already had a puncture at the back. I received the bike from my ex-teammate Nicolas Aernouts, but the pedals were not suitable for my shoes, so I had to manage one lap without clipless pedals. Eventually I got my bike back with a new rear wheel, but I had to close a gap of one and a half minutes. Fortunately, I was given the last twenty seconds, because suddenly the peloton came to a standstill due to a heavy crash. After resuming the race, I was able to drive away together with nine others. In the penultimate lap, Cedric Keppens and Dries Van Meenen attacked. I had already made a heavy effort beforehand and was betting on my sprint. I knew I was the fastest in the sprint. Unfortunately it was only a sprint for third place. Without that flat tire I would have slipped along with the attackers. Oh well, bad luck is part of the race.”

Found in Ghent

Huysmans hopes to be able to quickly flush the missed opportunity in Kortemark. “On April 1 I will go to Italy for a UCI race. I am also planning two fair races during the Easter holidays as a run-up to the next UCI races. The E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem in particular are marked in red, although I try to score in every race. My road season is actually all about finding a good team to make my debut with the reserves. After the Easter holidays, track training will also restart. I am already part of the team pursuit at the European Championships and World Championships. I have now completely found my niche at the Ghent Top Sports School. I have already learned a lot. I will certainly continue to combine the road and the track.”