On this Sunday 20th of April, Wanty-NIPPO-ReUz secured its third victory of the season thanks to Maxence Place's win in the Monts et Châteaux Classic. This extended the brilliant weekend for the young riders directed by Kévin van Melsen, following Simone Gualdi's podium finish at Liège-Bastogne-Liège U23 the day before.
The Walloon climber dominated this event, part of the U23 Road Series, putting in a 36-kilometer solo effort to win in the streets of Frasnes-les-Buissenal with a lead of over one minute and thirty seconds on the Lotto Devo duo, thus achieving his first victory in the U23 category.
Finishing in fourth place, his teammate Zeno Moonen took the overall lead in the U23 Road Series after three races. The Belgian sprinter had previously achieved a fifth place in Brussel-Opwijk and an eighth place in the Wim Hendriks Trofee.
"Liège-Bastogne-Liège U23 was one of my first big goals of the season, and unfortunately, I had an off day yesterday. Morally, I was very disappointed, and I had to motivate myself this morning to prove that today was a different day. The weather helped me because I like rainy conditions. So, I'm very happy with my performance. I started a long solo effort and was chased by two strong riders from Lotto Devo. But I managed to resist and increase the gap until the finish. I am the third rider from Wanty-NIPPO-ReUz to win, which shows the strength of our team. It's our good understanding between riders and staff that pushes us upwards. I've only been part of the Intermarché-Wanty structure for four months, but I feel very good in this family. From the beginning, I was invited to the World Team training camps to learn from the pros. La Flèche Ardennaise is my next goal, the toughest classic on the calendar, before my preparation for the Giro Next Gen."
