This Sunday 19th of October marked the final race day of the 2025 season for Intermarché-Wanty, with the team competing on three fronts: in China in the Tour of Guangxi, in Japan in the Japan Cup, and in the Netherlands in the inaugural Tour of Holland.
At the conclusion of the final World Tour event of the season in Guangxi, the Walloon team came away with three top 10 finishes in the sprints by Arne Marit and a seventh place overall for Kamiel Bonneu, his first top result in a stage race at the highest level.
On the home soil of partner NIPPO, Luca Van Boven produced an impressive solo effort of 20 kilometers in the Japan Cup, finishing 16th and receiving the KOM jersey presented by Yoshikazu Yoshikawa, president of the NIPPO Group.
Finally, Huub Artz came close to victory on the sixth and final stage of the Tour of Holland, finishing second in the streets of Arnhem behind Danny Van Poppel after spending the day in the breakaway. In addition to his podium finish, he also earned the Most Combative Rider jersey.
“We were all expecting a bunch sprint today, but after a few laps, I noticed that the sprint teams were struggling to control all the attacks. I saw that there was an interesting section after the finish where damage in the peloton could be made, especially if you kept pushing at the top. So I decided to go all in today and keep attacking, and see what would happen. Fortunately, a few other riders thought the same. With Alec Segaert and Cameron Rogers, we had a strong group, and in the end, also with Danny van Poppel. Without him, we wouldn’t have made it. I can live with someone like him beating me in the sprint. Only after the finish line did I realize how close it had been with the peloton, because we were quickly overruled. It’s taken some time, but I’m reaping the rewards of completing my first Grand Tour in the Vuelta. It’s a great way to finish my first year as a pro. The season didn’t start perfectly, but I’ve managed to develop myself as a GC rider in smaller stage races and get my time-trialing on point. That gives me a lot of confidence for the future.”
