The U19 edition of the Tour of Flanders, one of the most prestigious races in junior cycling, ended with an impressive double victory for the grenke - Auto Eder team. The 16-year-old Dane Julius Birkedal took the lead after a solo attack and crossed the finish line in first place. Directly behind him, his team-mate Georgs Tjumins from Latvia secured second place. The 125-kilometre route led the young athletes over numerous poisonous climbs and cobblestone passages, which gave the race its character. Despite the shorter distance compared to the professional version, the "Ronde", as the Belgian classic is known for short, is a real challenge for the young riders.
Strong team performance
The grenke - Auto Eder team showed a strong presence in the race right from the start. As early as the first half of the race, the talented drivers repeatedly took the lead of the field and set the pace in the decisive phases. This aggressive driving style paid off in the final, when the team was represented by several drivers in the decisive leading group. Julius Birkedal utilised this tactically perfect starting position for his solo victory.
This victory means a lot to me - Julius Birkedal
After the race, the young Dane was visibly moved: "This victory means a lot to me," said Birkedal. "After some difficulties at the start of the year, it's just great to be at the top today. Our team was incredibly strong - we had a lot of cards to play and executed our plan perfectly. The fact that we were outnumbered was a decisive factor in today's success."
Sports director satisfied
The dominance of grenke - Auto Eder was also reflected in the other placings. In addition to the one-two victory by Birkedal and Tjumins, two more team-mates, Gijs Schoonvelde from the Netherlands in sixth place and Karl Herzog from Germany in tenth, finished in the top ten. This outstanding team performance deservedly earned the team the title of strongest team.
Gregor Gazvoda, who acted as sporting director, was delighted with the performance of his protégés: "A fantastic day for us here in Belgium. The boys were not only strong, but also drove very cleverly. The fact that we ended up with a double victory is of course the best possible outcome." He particularly emphasised the winner's performance: "My compliments to Julius too - to win such a big race in his first U19 year is truly remarkable."
Outlook for upcoming races
After this success, the team is already looking ahead to the next challenges. The next race for the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe junior team will be the Classique des Alpes Juniors in France on 7 June. This will show whether the team can build on its strong performance at the Tour of Flanders.
Leon Weidner
Working student
