Wanty-NIPPO-ReUz unveils 2025 roster and kit

Continental Development Team Wanty-NIPPO-ReUz presented its 2025 roster and new kit to press and partners during Intermarché-Wanty’s Media Day in Albir, Spain, held on 17th of January.

Team

Under the direction of Kévin Van Melsen, the 19-rider squad represents seven different nationalities and showcases top U23 talent from around the globe such as 2024 Junior European Champion Felix Ørn-Kristoff.

The team also supports the development of track specialists such as Shunsuke Imamura and Nicolas Aernouts (2024 Junior Points Race World Champion) and of cyclocross specialist Keije Solen who will combine his road programme with cyclocross winters with Charles Liégeois Roastery.

In total, Kévin Van Melsen’s young team welcomes ten new recruits. In addition to the Belgians Nicolas Aernouts, Maxence Place and Axel Van den Broek, the Norwegians Felix Ørn-Kristoff and Halvor Dolven, the Dutchmen Elmar Abma and Keije Solen, and the German Tobias Müller, two other Japanese riders accompany Shunsuke Imamura: Kazuma Fujimura and Masao Shimazaki, two 19-year-old Japanese talents from the French club Martigues.

ABMA Elmar
AERNOUTS Nicolas
DOCKX Gilles
DOLVEN Halvor
FUJIMURA Kazuma
GEERINCKX Wout
GIRMAY Mewael
GRAFF William
GUALDI Simone
HANNES Victor

 

IMAMURA Shunsuke
MOONEN Zeno
MÜLLER Tobias
PLACE Maxence
SHIMAZAKI Masao
SOLEN Keije
TOUSSAINT Wouter
VAN DEN BROEK Axel
ØRN-KRISTOFF Felix

 

"Following a memorable 2023 season, we managed to achieve new prestigious successes in 2024 with Gent-Wevelgem U23 and the Giro Next Gen. For this new season, the third year of Wanty-NIPPO-ReUz's history, we will have a strengthened team with the arrival of ten new talents, both Belgian and international, with different profiles. I am thinking of European Junior Champion Felix Orn-Kristoff, Norwegian U23 champion Halvor Dolven or Tobias Müller, but also Maxence Place. I am also looking forward to see the Japanese talents from our new collaboration with NIPPO in competition. These reinforcements will allow us to shine on all terrains, but above all, we must ensure that we are a united team. This is the best way to achieve results and ultimately allow these young riders to become professionals."

Shunsuke Imamura

The latest addition to the team, Japanese track star Shunsuke Imamura, is transitioning to road cycling with Wanty-NIPPO-ReUz. The 26 year old rider achieved significant success on the track, including a fifth-place finish in the madison and tenth in the team pursuit at the Paris Olympics last summer. He also won a bronze medal in the omnium at the 2023 Glasgow World Championships. A former junior world champion in the points race, Imamura holds the Japanese Hour Record at 52.468 km (since 2020). His road cycling experience includes a U23 national time trial title (2019), stage wins in races like the Tour de Hokkaido, and participation in the U23 road race at the 2019 Glasgow World Championships.

 

"Observing World Tour level track cyclists like Benjamin Thomas or Fabio Van den Bossche among others, I've seen how their road experience translates to a significant advantage on the track, giving them greater physical capacity, repeated attack power, and tactical awareness. This motivated me to pursue road racing and join Intermarché-Wanty. I believe this team has the resources I need to develop. I've already benefited from the World Tour staff's expertise during two winter training camps. For example, I've learned from nutritionist Astrid Roekens that my fueling strategy needs to be vastly different for road racing compared to track training. My training with Christophe Prémont has also introduced me to longer road sessions, a significant departure from my previous training. Essentially, everything is new, requiring a considerable adaptation. I’m both excited and nervous, but the team has been incredibly supportive and helpful in preparing me for this new challenge. I'm grateful to Intermarché-Wanty and NIPPO for this European racing opportunity. I aim to leverage my track-honed speed and power to contribute to team victories in UCI races."

New look

The new kit was officially presented by the U23 riders who will be the first ones to start the road season with the World Team: Halvor Dolven (Mallorca Challenge) showcased his U23 Norwegian champion’s kit, alongside his teammates Simone Gualdi, Maxence Place, and Wouter Toussaint (Vuelta a la Region de Murcia). Following another collective training camp in Spain during the first two weeks of February, Wanty-NIPPO-ReUz will kick off its 2025 season at Brussel-Opwijk, the first race of the U23 Road Series on March 2nd.

 

Like World Team Intermarché-Wanty, Continental Development team Wanty-NIPPO-ReUz, sports a brand new design and a renewed color palette, on the eve of its third year of existence. The combination of red, white, black, and the emblematic fluorescent yellow make up the new outfit created by Verge Sport for the 2025 season.

As a new title partner, the Japanese construction group NIPPO Corporationmakes its appearance alongside Wanty and ReUz in the center of the jersey, but also on the back and the left sleeve. The group’s mascot adds an original touch, with its appearance specific to Japanese culture, standing out on the lower back. Technord Group, title partner during the first two seasons, remains visible on the front and back of the jersey.

 

Proof of the close collaboration between the road teams of the Intermarché-Wanty structure is that multiple partners of the World Team are also visible on the kit of the Devo team, notably on the bib shorts, which are identical, and on the chest, where the technical partners are placed.

RESULTS

General Classification

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