Brabanders Jan Maas, Bram Welten and Steven Kruijswijk will participate in the Giro d’Italia cycling round on Friday. For Maas (29), from Huijbergen, it will be his debut in the Tour of Italy. The Giro is not entirely unknown to him, at the Next Gen edition in 2018 he became fifteenth.
Maas, who is called a ‘dedicated and exemplary teammate’ by his team Cofidis, is ‘very satisfied’ that he has been selected. “It is of course super nice to drive a big round and always honorable,” he says. “It says something about how you are in the team. It is one of the most important races of the year, so nice and nice if you are set up for that.”
In the first instance it was not intended that he would start, but he falls in because teammates are injured or sick. Two weeks ago Maas heard that he was selected. “But I had known for a long time that I was reserve and was on the long list.” The rider will mainly be employed by Sprinter and leader Milan Fretin, with which the team wants to go for the sprint stages. “So my task will mainly be supportive and to assist Fretin as well as possible.”
Pink sweater
As a child he already dreamed a bit of the Giro. For example, when he got a pink sweater from his mother (the leader’s sweater in the Giro) after she had been to Italy. “But if you are a professional, you don’t necessarily dream about it anymore, but perhaps win more about something. Winning a stage in a big round,” he explains. “If you are a professional, that chance is just quite real.”
The Giro is not Maas’ first big round. In 2023 he rode with his previous team Jayco-Alula de Vuelta, the Tour of Spain. Since this season he has been driving for the French team Cofidis. De Huijberger who learned Frans out of respect for the team, has ‘a lot of sense’ in the Giro, he says. “I just raced a lot, went to the Ardennes and Luxembourg. I’m ready for it.”
Kruijswijk
In addition to Maas, Tilburger Bram Welten (28) is also participating. He drives Team Picnic PostNL for the Dutch team. During the Italian race he will assist the stopping leader Romain Bardet and Sprinter Casper van Uden. Welten debuted in Italy last year. He no longer stepped up in the fourth stage due to illness.
Steven Kruijswijk (37) from Nuenen from Team Visma-Lease A Bike is preparing for his ninth participation. In 2020 he participated for the last time. He was also present in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Kruijswijk was second in stages (in 2015 and 2016) and finished fourth in the general classification in 2016.
The Tour of Italy starts on Friday, May 9 in Durrës, Albania. The hilly opening stage goes to the capital Tirana. The Giro ends in Rome on Sunday 1 June, after 21 stages and 3,413 kilometers held.