Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun? Or does it explode? - Langston Hughes
Les Woodland's book Cycling's World Championships: The Inside Story is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- September 22 - 29: World Road Cycling Championships
Upcoming racing:
- Sept 29 - Oct 6: Le Tour de Langkawi
- October 12: Il Lombardia
Latest completed racing:
- September 18 - 22: Tour de Luxembourg
- September 21: Super 8 Classic
- September 20: Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
- September 18: GP de Wallonie
- September 15: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- September 15: Trofeo Matteotti
- September 14: Memorial Marco Pantani
- September 13: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
- September 12: Coppa Sabatini
Here’s the team’s announcement:
Both fresh faces to Team dsm-firmenich PostNL in 2024, Van den Berg and Welten have settled in well, bringing energy both on and off the bike to the team’s sprint group. Continuing their journey together as Team dsm-firmenich PostNL look to build on progression made this season, the Dutch duo will race in the team’s colors for another two years through the 2026 campaign.
Julius van den Berg:
Coming from Purmerend in the province of North Holland, Van den Berg has been a professional since 2018. He took a fantastic stage win from the breakaway at the Tour de Pologne in 2021 but it is qualities and abilities as a true teammate that have shone through since joining Team dsm-firmenich PostNL. Often seen working selflessly at the head of the peloton to shut down breakaways or help set them up, driving the front of the bunch and supporting with positioning the sprint group in the finale, Van den Berg is more than willing to give his all for those around him. In 2024, he has played a part in nine victories for the team so far and looking ahead to the coming years he wants to add onto that total.
Julius van den Berg.
Van den Berg expressed: “I think the team has a nice atmosphere with all the guys. It’s a pretty young group but it feels really tight-knit and the staff also compliment that really well. The relationship between the staff and riders is good; it doesn’t feel like a boss and the workers, there is a lot of respect and equality between each other. This year I’ve had some nice memories with the team so far, and Tour of Türkiye really stands out to me, where we won multiple sprint stages with Fabio [Jakobsen] and Tobias [Lund Andresen], plus Frank [van den Broek] won the GC which we also played a part in; the group really clicked that week. Of course, being a part of Pavel’s [Bittner] first Grand Tour win at the Vuelta a España was really nice and what made that more special was it was a proper team win, we did it all really together, everyone did their role perfectly.
"I think in the next seasons I can continue to be someone that will help the team’s finishers in whatever way possible; I can ride on the front for a long time in a chase for example. I really like to give 100 percent to my teammates. Off the bike I like to have a nice atmosphere in the team, so I hope to bring that balance for the guys too and help them relax in the right moments. 2024 has been a good year for the team so far with a lot of wins and it’s also nice to see the younger guys continue to make steps and develop. I think that is only going upwards; so I hope we continue with that next year. For me, I like to win so I want to play my part in even more successes with the team.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna added: “Julius has a lot of firepower on the bike, and he has added that to the engine room of our team since he joined at the start of the season. He’s played an important role in supporting our finishers deep in the finales, but likewise he is also someone who has been able to help control races from the start. Furthermore, recently at the Vuelta we have seen him help set things up for his teammates so we can create race scenarios and breakaways that are in our favour. Looking ahead we’re hoping to grow further together with Julius in the coming years.”
Content continues below the ads
Bram Welten:
Hailing from Tilburg in North Brabant, which is actually in the south of the Netherlands, Welten has settled in well since making the switch to Team dsm-firmenich PostNL. Continuing his transformation into a strong lead-out rider and last-man in the sprint train, Welten has played a role in eight of the Men’s program’s wins so far this season. A dedicated teammate who is always willing to put his hand up and do what’s needed to help the team’s finisher, you can often find Welten stuck like glue with his teammates throughout the stage and deep into the finales. Having made his Grand Tour debuts at both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in 2024, Welten hopes to help Team dsm-firmenich PostNL take victories at the biggest races in the years to come.
Bram Welten
Welten said: “I feel really supported here at Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, and that’s in both the moments that go well but also those that maybe don’t go as planned. I think that’s a good thing because having that support in the tougher moments are the times that then help you to do better afterwards. This year for example in the Tour of Türkiye we had a really nice group together, had a clear plan, and nailed it the whole week, and I want us to achieve that more together next year. I think I can bring some of my experience to the sprint group where we can work together so that we can deliver our finishers as fresh as possible into the last 200 metres for them to go for top results. Personally, a future dream goal of mine with the team would be to go back to the Tour de France sometime in the coming years and achieve some more great results there together.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna continued: “Bram has fitted into the team really well since joining us at the start of this season. Away from the bike, he has a positive and outgoing character and is someone that works closely with the riders but also our staff group. On the bike we have seen him take steps and further develop in his role as part of our sprint group, often operating as last-man in the lead-out for our sprint finisher. We believe that Bram has not only the abilities but also the attitude to further grow in that role so we can target more successes together in the future.”
Content continues below the ads
Here’s the team’s news:
Winner of five road races this year – his last in the junior ranks – Hodei Muñoz will make the transition to the U23 scene in 2025, as part of the strong Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team, which in the last two seasons has racked up over 40 victories while sending several riders to the World Tour squad, such as Gil Gelders, William Junior Lecerf and Pepijn Reinderink.
Hodei Muñoz wins a Spanish junior race.
Just 18 years of age, Hodei hails from the village of Luiaondo in the Basque Country, a region with a deep love for cycling which has produced many great riders, including Mikel Landa, who Hodei admires from a young age. This season alone, Muñoz impressed in a number of races, like the Klasika Primavera, Tour du Pays de Vaud and Bizkaiko Itzulia, and these results – together with his strong mindset and ambition to improve – have landed him a spot Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team’s roster for 2025.
“The first sport I did as a kid was football, but around the age of ten, my uncle taught me how to ride a bike and then took me to some races, where I was instantly hooked by the atmosphere. I fell in love with the sport and today I can’t see myself doing anything else.”
Content continues below the ads
“I like hilly and medium-mountain races with an explosive finale, but I also dream of racing Paris-Roubaix, especially as I’ve done some cyclo-cross in the past”, explained Hodei, who last year won Spain’s inaugural Gravel National Championships, as well as the cyclo-cross junior title and the Copa España. “I’m happy to join this team, it’s a dream come true and I can’t wait to sport its jersey next year. I want to find my place there, learn and show what I’m capable of if there will be any opportunities.”
“We are delighted that Hodei will be part of our squad next year. He’s shown many promising things this season in both one-day and stage races, and we are confident we will provide him with the right environment to continue his development”, added team manager Bart Roosens.
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary