Intermarché-Wanty welcomes Maxence Place, a 20-year-old Walloon climber, who will reinforce Kévin Van Melsen’s Wanty-ReUz-Technord squad starting in the 2025 season.
Originally from Namur, Maxence Place is one of the most promising Belgian climbers of his generation, consistently finishing at the top of the most prestigious stage races on the Junior calendar, such as La Philippe Gilbert (winner in 2021), the Valromey Tour (6th in 2022) or Aubel-Thimister-Stavelot (4th in 2022).
In 2023, moving up to the U23 category, he rode under Axel Merckx with the American team Hagens Berman, where champions like Jasper Philipsen, Joao Almeida and Jasper Stuyven have passed through. He gained experience in the role of teammate, enabling his leader Darren Rafferty to win the Giro della Valle d’Aosta, and secured a top-10 finish at La Planche des Belles Filles (9th) on the Tour d’Alsace.
He took a significant step forward in 2024 by obtaining his first top-10 overall finish in a UCI stage race, eighth in the Istrian Spring Trophy, and rivaled the best climbers in the Alps, with summit finishes at the Giro della Valle d’Aosta (7th in Breuil-Cervinia) and recently at the Giro Friuli Venezia Giulia (9th in Sauris).
Maxence Place:
“My ambition is to become a professional cyclist with Intermarché-Wanty. As a Walloon, wearing the colors of this team is an honor. To achieve this, I will have to work hard and prove myself with the Wanty-ReUz-Technord Development team, whose team spirit I was impressed by during the races. This collective approach, being surrounded by a strong team, is exactly what I need to progress. I want to develop as a climber, with my physique suited to climbs, motivated by the ultimate dream of becoming a general classification rider in the Grand Tours. I also have an affinity for time trialing since my Junior years, which I intend to develop further to excel in stage races. I am convinced that the Intermarché-Wanty structure is the ideal environment to take a step up. In 2025 with Wanty-ReUz-Technord, I plan to shine in races like the Giro di Valle d’Aosta and the Giro Next Gen, and I’m also eager to learn from the World Team pros to gain experience and become physically stronger.”
Kévin Van Melsen (sports director):
“Maxence Place’s career in the Junior category demonstrates great talent as a climber. I saw it myself last year during the Giro della Valle d’Aosta, where he gained strength every day. Also, our structure attaches great importance to developing young talents from our region towards the professional world. I am convinced of Maxence’s great potential, who probably needs more race days to express himself. At the end of this season, and especially at the Giro Friuli, he was impressive against particularly strong competition at the start. I am convinced that our training program can allow Maxence to take a step up, to shine in stage races and in the high mountains.”
