This Friday, September 13th, in Limburg, Huub Artz achieved a historic victory by becoming the European U23 Champion, marking the first international road race title for Intermarché-Wanty.
The 22-year-old rider, a member of the Wanty-ReUz-Technord Development team, represented the Netherlands at the start of this race contested by nations. Among the strongest in the peloton, he isolated himself with Niklas Behrens (Germany) and Léandre Lozouet (France) in the final phase of this 160-kilometer course between Heusden-Zolder and Hasselt, which notably included two laps of the local circuit featuring the cobbled sectors of Manshoven and Op de Kriezel, as well as the climbs of Zammelberg and Kolmontberg.
Artz ultimately triumphed over Behrens in a two-man sprint. Following his earlier successes at Ghent-Wevelgem U23 and the Giro Next Gen, this victory further confirms Artz as one of the most talented U23 riders in his generation. It’s the first time a rider from Jean-François Bourlart’s structure has won the coveted European U23 road race title, mirroring the achievements of Lauren Molengraaf and Zoé Bäckstedt in cyclo-cross.
Huub Artz: “This European title is incredible, so unexpected. Throughout the week, I considered different tactics to envision victory. I thought the wind could be a determining factor, but I feared a massive sprint. Fortunately, the race unfolded much earlier than I expected. The perfect race scenario developed today. We were in an ideal situation with three Dutch riders among the strongest. We were convinced of our strength, so we didn’t hesitate to give our all. In the end, it’s always a question of who has the best legs of the day and today that was me. I am very proud of my race, proud of this title.”
