Last weekend, Circus-ReUz-Technord concluded its first complete month of competition with a new victory, thanks to Jasper Dejaegher in the Wim Hendriks Trophy and followed by a fifth place of Axel Huens in the prestigious Kattekoers - Gent-Wevelgem U23 the next day.
On Saturday, Jasper Dejaegher enabled the team under the direction of Kévin Van Melsen to win the second race of the U23 Road Series after the success of Roel van Sintmaartensdijk in Brussels-Opwijk. After 170 kilometer of crosswinds and cobble sections through Zealand he was the strongest of a breakaway of four riders, becoming the fourth different rider to win this season. His teammates Dylan Vandenstorme (7th) and Victor Hannes (10th) accompanied him in the top ten.
"The positive spiral set by Intermarché-Circus-Wanty in the beginning of 2023 seems to have inspired our U23 riders for their start of the season. Their good impression during our two preparing training camps in Alicante gave me confidence to quickly win a race. But they exceeded y expectations by dominating interclub races after winning our first kermesse race of the season. Our last year U23 riders confirmed their role as road captains, making decisions during the races and guiding our youngest riders. Our first year U23 riders also impressed my with their fighting spirit and even with victories in the case of Alexy Faure-Prost. We are competitive on all terrains, this is encouraging."
"All riders of Circus-ReUz-Technord aim to turn professional and want to show what they're capable of. Each of them will receive opportunities to do that and it is important to communicate it to them. Thanks to tailor-made and individual year plans, they can serenely prepare their races with our trainer Christophe Prémont. They understood that teamwork brings them further individually. Four different riders were already victorious, this proofs that we managed to build a good cohesion. Just like for Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, the key to success is our teamspirit and the fun we have together."
"Another advantage for them is that they benefit from the same equipment as the riders of the World Team and regularly train and race with them. This weekend for example, five riders of Circus-ReUz-Technord will race with the pros. This is in my opinion the best way to progress and gain precious experience. Moreover, our U23 riders are not just extras, they contribute to the success of Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. Francesco Busatto achieved a remarkable result in his first race with the World team as he became fourth in the Muscat Classic. In Rucphen, six U23 riders gave everything to enable Laurenz Rex to obtain his first UCI victory in our colors. This example shows how good our teams work together in harmony and form one big family."
"We have a successful month with typical Flemish classics behind the back. In April we'll start a period with races of the Ardennes type. This weekend we participate in the prestigious Circuit des Ardennes, followed by Liège-Bastogne-Liège U23, the Tour of Brittany and Paris-Roubaix U23 in the beginning of May. At the same time, our youngest riders will participate in their first stage race, the Tour du Loir-et-Cher. I'm also looking forward to the start of the season of our cyclocross riders with Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, in the Tour of Sicily in case of Thijs Aerts and Gerben Kuypers and in the French races in May in the case of Kevin Kuhn."
"Everyone knew that it would be war from the start. I immediately went all out from the first kilometer to start the first small road in the front. It was a tough battle in the wind and after the first cobble section I was part of the first echelon with Victor Hannes and Tim Rex. In the front, we were one of the best represented teams so the situation was perfect when Huub Artz, two riders of Soul-Quickstep and myself distanced the rest with 65 kilometer to go." "Our advantage grew quickly, so we knew we were racing for the victory. In the final kilometers my competitors attacked one by one. I managed to pass Pepijn Reinderinck in the final to achieve my first success after a sprint of 1200 meter. The start list was solid, however, only 25 riders finished the race. This gives my victory an extra dimension. I worked hard this winter and thanks to the professional support of Circus-ReUz-Technord I benefit from some extra percentages which enable me to win a prestigious race."
