This Sunday 9th of June, the young riders of Wanty-ReUz-Technord will participate for the second time to the Giro Next Gen, the U23 version of the famous Tour of Italy. The team led by Kévin Van Melsen made its mark in its first participation in 2023 with three stage podiums, a fifth place overall, the best young rider jersey and a second place in the team classification.
The Grande Partenza will be held in the Valle d’Aosta region for eight days through the north of Italy, through the regions of Piemonte, Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna until June 16th. The opening time trial of 9 kilometer is followed by two stages suited for punchers towards Saint-Vincent (stage 2) and Forlimpopoli (stage 8), two sprint opportunities in Borgomanero (stage 4) and Cremona (stage 5), and three mountain stages with a summit finish.
The third stage leads to Pian della Mussa (4km at 8.6%), at an altitude of over 1700 meters. The second summit finish at the end of the sixth stage leads towards Fosse (8.7 km at 8.7%), the day before the longest stage of 180 kilometers with a flat approach and a finish in Zocca (11 km at 4.5%).
Dutch rider Huub Artz, future pro rider with Intermarché-Wanty and winner of Gent-Wevelgem U23, will lead the selection alongside his compatriot Wouter Toussaint, overall winner of the Triptyque Ardennais and recently fifth in the prestigious Course de la Paix. Simone Gualdi, who played an important role in Toussaint’s feat at the Triptyque Ardennais and finished second himself, will race in his home region on the fifth day, during the stage with start in Bergamo. The three Belgians in the selection are Victor Hannes, Zeno Moonen and Tim Rex, the latter participating for the second time.
"Our second Giro Next Gen promises to be another great battle, with a balanced course where all types of riders will have a chance to shine. I see opportunities on all terrains for our team, and that from the first day. With Huub Artz, we have a major asset for the opening time trial. Since joining our structure, Huub has never ceased to surprise us, most recently with Intermarché-Wanty on the Tour of Norway. He has shown that he can also do well on long climbs, which has further convinced us to give him carte blanche to test himself in the fight for the general classification. Also Wouter Toussaint has ambitions for the general classification. This spring, he has regularly shown that he is among the best as soon as the road rises and he also has qualities against the clock. He is in great shape and will line up full of confidence after his fifth place in the prestigious Course de la Paix.” "Our Dutch riders can rely on the support of their four teammates. With Simone Gualdi and Victor Hannes, our selection includes two punchers with fast legs. Both are still young, but Simone has already achieved exceptional performances among the pros with Intermarché-Wanty and Victor has made remarkable progress compared to last year. Zeno Moonen and Tim Rex deserve their selection thanks to the loyal role they have played in support of the team since the start of the season. On the two sprint stages, our sprinter will be Zeno, who knows how to handle chaotic sprints as is often the case in this race. Tim will also have opportunities to show himself, in breakaways or by surpassing himself in the high mountains, as he did last year alongside Alexy Faure-Prost on the Passo dello Stelvio."
