Intermarché-Wanty continues to attract the most sought-after international talents with the arrivals of Dutch rider Elmar Abma and German Tobias Müller, who will strengthen the Wanty-ReUz-Technord squad led by Kévin Van Melsen.
A tall and powerful rider, Elmar Abma (20 years old) has claimed three victories in 2024 on Dutch soil, including a success in a UCI event at the Olympia’s Tour, where he won the first stage just ahead of the sprinters. This victory came just after his win on the cobbles of the Kasseienomloop van Exloo and shortly before the Kersenronde Mierlo, a U23 Road Series event.
In June, he won bronze in the time trial and road race at the national championships, after having excelled in breakaways at the ZLM Tour, a stage race won by Intermarché-Wanty’s Rune Herregodts. These performances earned him a selection for the Dutch team at the European Championships.
Trained on the track where he became a double Dutch Omnium champion and a Junior European champion, Elmar Abma becomes the fourth Dutchman to continue his development within the Wanty-ReUz-Technord team led by Kévin van Melsen, after Huub Artz, Wouter Toussaint and Roel van Sintmaartensdijk, who like him had arrived from the VolkerWessels team.
Also aged 20, Tobias Müller is one of the most promising German sprinters in the U23 category. Coming from a cycling family, he is the son of Viola-Paultiz, a two-time participant in the Summer Olympics, and Ulrich Müller, a representative of the Rad-Net team where he has been riding since 2023. This season, he obtained his first professional podium, finishing third in a stage of the Tour de l’Ain, and recently placed ninth twice in sprints at the Tour of Germany won by Mads Pedersen and Jonathan Milan.
A fast rider who likes hilly courses, he excelled at Gand-Wevelgem U23 won by Huub Artz with an eighth place, and has just finished eighteenth in the road race at the European U23 Championships, his first selection with the Mannschaft in an international competition. In addition to his podium at the Tour de l’Ain, Müller has numerous placings in UCI events, including three podiums at the Tour de la Mirabelle, a third place in Paris-Troyes and a sixth place in Eschborn-Frankfurt U23.
Elmar Abma: “Like many young Dutch people, I started cycling at the age of 10 on a regular bike, the one I used to go to school with. I really enjoyed that feeling, and so a little later, I tried road cycling. A decision that led to my career in cycling, which is progressing step by step. The next step is this adventure with Wanty-ReUz-Technord, a reward for the good season I’m having. In June at the ZLM Tour, I spoke with Adriaan Helmantel, now a coach at Intermarché-Wanty, whom I knew as the coach of the Dutch national team. The VolkerWessels team was the ideal environment to gain experience, and now I’m eager to continue my progress at a higher level with the Intermarché-Wanty structure. I want to realize my dream of becoming a professional cyclist and one day participating in Paris-Roubaix. I can’t wait to contribute to the team and learn from the World Team pros. I love intense races from start to finish, where positioning plays an important role, even with a lot of wind and rain. Apart from very mountainous courses, I like all types of profiles.”
Tobias Müller: “I’ve made a lot of progress this season. I had set myself the goal of taking a big step forward, driven by my dream of becoming a professional cyclist. I was really excited when I heard about Intermarché-Wanty’s interest. It’s a fantastic opportunity for my future. Both of my parents were cyclists, so I grew up in this environment. After trying football, I’m now fully focused on cycling where I’m developing into a fairly versatile rider. I enjoy all types of terrain and have a good top speed. There are races that I’ve competed in at the U23 level, like Paris-Tours and Gent-Wevelgem, where I hope to shine with Wanty-ReUz-Technord. Thanks to Intermarché-Wanty’s training program, I’m going to continue developing and further increase my physical abilities. I know there’s close cooperation with the World Team, and I can’t wait to learn alongside the pros to one day reach the highest level.”
Kévin Van Melsen (sports director): “We followed Elmar closely, and we noticed during his victories just how powerful a rider he is with a big engine. He has the profile we needed for our 2025 squad. A rider suited to the Flemish races, especially on the cobbles like Paris-Roubaix. In addition to his powerful engine, Elmar will also be a valuable asset for our sprint train. At 20 years old, he already has some experience against the pros. It’s experience that he can share with our younger riders. Personally, I’m very happy with this reinforcement. During our discussions, he seemed both calm and motivated. He’s aware of what he can bring to our team and determined to continue his development within our structure, which has already successfully supported Roel van Sintmaartensdijk and Huub Artz, and I hope he can follow in their footsteps.”
“Tobias is a fast rider who can also handle the climbs well. We saw that at the Tour de l’Ain, where he made the podium against professional riders, and I met him at the Tour of Germany where he was also very strong. He performed well on the difficult stages, each time surviving the climbs in the finale to participate in the sprint and get several top 10 finishes. So, he’s already proven that he can perform at the highest level. We’re happy to have a promising rider like Tobias in our structure, with a profile capable of regularly challenging for top positions. Personally, I believe he can excel in the Flemish classics and certain stage races. He’s the type of rider we need for tough courses where pure sprinters will struggle to get over the steep climbs. In these situations, he’ll be able to make a difference and sprint for the victory.”
