Dutchman Roel van Sintmaartensdijk and the Frenchmen Alexy Faure-Prost and Axel Huens join the new Continental Development team of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux, which means that the roster directed by Kévin Van Melsen is now composed of thirteen riders for season 2023.
These two new nations are added to the Belgian names of Arne Baers, Victor Hannes, Sacha Prestianni, Tim Rex, Dylan Vandenstorme, Jelle Vermoote and Obie Vidts, the Italian duo Francesco Busatto and Alessio Delle Vedoveand the Briton Nathan Smith.
Roel Van Sintmaartensdijk (21 year old) distinguished himself in the pro peloton this season by finishing best young rider in the Olympia’s Tour (4th in GC) and by achieving a podium in the queen stage of the Tour of Slovakia. He also finished in the top 25 in Veenendaal, Antwerp Port Epic, Circuit de Wallonie, GP Marcel Kint and the GC of the ZLM Tour after shining in his own category with victories in the Omloop van de Braakman, Omloop der Kempen and the GC of the International Beloften Weekend.
« I've been following Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert for a longer time already and I felt honored when the team showed its interest during one of my races with the pros. Kévin Van Melsen and Dimitri Claeys gave me a lot of confidence, I'm very motivated to join the project after a good preparation in the Netherlands. In the Continental Development team we'll benefit of the same support and the same equipment of the World Team. And we'll also receive the opportunity to race with the pros. My ambition is to play an important role in the U23 races by pursuing this year's series of victories on the one hand and by passing on my experience to our first year U23 riders on the other hand. I also want to contribute to the collective goals of the World Team, because my podium in the queen stage of the Tour of Slovakia convinced me about my capabilities to become a part of the pro peloton one day. »
Alexy Faure-Prost (18 year old) showed himself in the junior category as soon as the road went up, by winning three races among whom a stage in the prestigious Valromey Tour. He was always among the better riders in stage races, finishing three times second in GC and obtaining a top ten in the nations cup LVM Saarland Trofeo and the Valromey Tour.
« I immediately understood that my development would be a priority with Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux, that's why I was rapidly convinced to join this new project. My competition programme reflects this long term vision. Kévin Van Melsen plans to progressively adapt it to make sure that I can take it step by step. The idea is to participate in pro races from my second year in the U23 category. The calendar of the team will be varied with all season long opportunities for riders of all profiles. Personally I'm looking forward to the climbing races, the Ardennes classics and other races with hilly profiles. »
Axel Huens (21 year old) finished not less than 23 times among the first ten riders on French and Belgian soil this season, among which one victory in the Boucles du Haut Var, eight other podium spots and a fourth place in the general classification of the Triptyque Ardennais, a well known race for the U23 category.
« I was pleased to read the announcement of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert's new project this summer. I've always wanted to defend the colors of a Belgian team because I have a special link with this country: my father is Belgian, I live close to the broder and I like the Belgian races. It feels like the door to the professional world was opened to me, because everything is being prepared down to the last detail. For example, my training programme for November is known already and this week we'll come together to test the material. This is the best environment to develop towards the pros and realize my dream. My main asset this season was my regularity, something I want to keep next year next to my ambition of throwing my hands in the air more often. »
« Roel van Sintmaartensdijk showed regularity by winning several races this spring and even stepping on the podium in a pro race last month thanks to a successful breakaway in the Tour of Slovakia. His race intelligence will be a precious asset for our youngest riders. He's interested in improvements down to the last details and he has the ambition to show his capabilities to become a pro rider. That's why he'll regularly receive the opportunity to show himself with the pros in 2023. » « Alexy Faure-Prost won important international races in the junior category on challenging profiles. So his race programme will be composed of races with similar profiles such as the Tour de Savoie Mont-Blanc. In our team Alexy can physically progress in a serene way and build experience in his new category. He has an interesting profile because of his potential of becoming a solid asset in the stage races. I wish him the same development as Guillaume Martin, who played an important role in the history of our team. » « Axel Huens is a specialist of Flemish classics and crosswinds. We can use this power and his fast legs in the finals of the spring classics. Just like Roel and Alexy, he showed regularity despite bad luck and a bad crash in the Tour de Liège. With our trainers we're convinced about his potential. He'll be able to benefit from our coaching to progress on different levels such as his workload. » « Our new Continental Development team is coming together for the first time this week, on the occasion of the teambuilding of the World Team. Our riders will meet, they'll work with our technical partners and they'll discover all aspects of our performance strategy. »
