From its first year of existence, team Circus-ReUz-Technord received the privilege to be selected for the Giro Next Gen, the U23 version of the Tour of Italy. Under the direction of Kévin Van Melsen, five riders will participate in this battle for the pink jersey from 11th to 18th of June, though eight stages in the north of the country and over the Passo dello Stelvio and Pian del Cansiglio.
On Sunday 11th of June, the race is opened with a short time trial of 9 kilometer towards the castle of Agliè. The peloton stays in Piemonte the next two days, with a hilly parcours towards Cherasco followed by a flat stage towards Magenta. The queen stage is planned on Wednesday, with a finish on top of the Passo dello Stelvio at 2758 meters of altitude.
No rest the next day, when a hilly stage brings the riders towards Manerba del Garda. The last opportunity for sprinters towards Povegliano is scheduled on day six and precedes a new challenging stage with more than 4300 climbing meters in the longest stage towards the top of Pian del Cansiglio. The race ends with a rather short parcours of 131 kilometer until Trieste.
Italian rider Francesco Busatto will participate to the Giro Next Gen for the third time in a row, after two stage podiums in the previous editions. Recently, the winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège U23 also won a stage in the Orlen Nations Grand Prix and finished fourth in the Giro dell’Appennino with Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. His four teammates will participate for the first time in a stage race of eight days: Frenchman Alexy Faure-Prost (19), Belgian duo Tim Rex (19) and Jelle Vermoote (21) and the Dutchman Roel van Sintmaartensdijk (22).
“I can’t wait to start my third Giro Next Gen, which leads to my home region. Especially the penultimate stage taking place on my training roads. To prepare myself I also did the recon of the stages towards the Passo dello Stelvio on day four and the one along the Garda Lake the next day. The Stelvio stage is challenging from the start and will be an excellent test, as I want to discover how far I can get on such a long climb. After this we will have an idea if I can play a role in the general classification. The scenario the next day is difficult to predict as the roads in the beginning are narrow and with many corners, perfect for a breakaway, but with two long and smooth climbs preceding a tricky final and uphill finish, ideal for punchers like me. The knowledge of these stages can be an interesting advantage for me. We head to the Giro with a polyvalent team, with different profiles to be competitive each day. After my podiums last year, my personal ambition is to win a stage.”
"Since my arrival at Circus-ReUz-Technord, I was dreaming of participating to the Giro Next Gen, especially because my brother Laurenz learned that he would be making his Grand Tour debut in the Giro d'Italia with the World Team. Last month, Kévin Van Melsen called me to announce that I was part of the roster. I couldn't believe it, because this is only my first season in the U23 category after a transition from mountainbike to road cycling and I've never done such a stage race before. Today, I realise that it is a fantastic reward for my commitment in training, my devotion in support of my teammates and for the progress I made since last winter."
"I kept my selection secret until the end of the Tour of Italy because I wanted to announce the news to my family in presence of Laurenz. At first he was sceptical, because he thought I was too young to participate to such a rude challenge. It was his protective instinct. But in the end he was convinced that this prestigious race would be excellent for my development, provided that I manage my efforts with intelligence. He knows that I'm well surrounded with Kévin Van Melsen and Christophe Prémont, and as usual Laurenz will not hesitate to give advice himself."
“From the launch of our project Circus-ReUz-Technord, it was our ambition to participate in the Giro Next Gen, one of the most important races of the season for our U23 riders. I’m particularly proud that our efforts were rewarded with excellent results from the first races, leading to a highly contested invitation for this Giro Next Gen.”
“Collectively, our team achieves a high level in all races. It wasn’t easy to select only five riders. We opted for a balanced group, with the main goal to obtain a stage victory and a good general classification. Several stages are perfect for Francesco Busatto, who won two prestigious races in a sprint between strong riders this season. Alexy Faure can be confident for the queen stage towards the Stelvio after finishing 22nd in the Mercan’Tour Classic, his first race with the pros. I also believe in the chances of Roel van Sintmaartensdijk and Jelle Vermoote to win a stage, from a breakaway or in a sprint.”
“Tim Rex completes our roster, in support of his teammates like he does in each race. Our roster reflects the message I shared with our riders at the beginning of the season. Not only the ones achieving results will be rewarded, but also the ones working for the team. At the age of 19, Tim is still learning. But he has the capabilities to make a step up in this Giro Next Gen. He has the confidence of his leaders and the capabilities to protect them from the wind all week.”
“Our five riders prepared the Giro Next Gen with a race programme of high level. Francesco Busatto, Alexy Faure-Prost and Roel van Sintmaartensdijk recently raced with the World Team, whereas Tim Rex prepared in races with Circus-ReUz-Technord and specific training sessions. Jelle Vermoote showed himself in the collors of the Belgian national team with a top ten in a stage of the Orlen Nations Grand Prix, where Busatto won. Our team is ready to honour its first participation in the Giro Next Gen!”
