The win was unexpected, but it has been won: Roy Schepers from Sleen is world champion of boulangerie, or bread baking. Together with teammates Féra de Vries and Wietse Schiere, he won the main prize in Nantes, France. Tomorrow he returns to the Netherlands as a proud winner.
“We have been working on this for two years. The fact that we are now winning is very nice,” says Schepers, as he prepares for the closing gala. The title has been won and no one can take it away from him.
Although Schepers competed in the senior category this year, he was the youngest participant in that class. That made the performance extra special.
“The win really came from an unexpected source,” says Schepers. “Countries such as China and Japan also participated and they are incredibly strong. For those participants, this is their job. We do it as a hobby on the weekends. A crazy hobby perhaps, but if you win it is really special.”
In the meantime, Schepers also had something else on his mind: he became a father at the beginning of October. “It was still exciting whether I could even participate. Just to be sure, we had a coach ready who could take my place and knew the whole plan. But luckily I was able to participate myself.”
Tomorrow Roy Schepers will fly home again, where he will celebrate the victory with his girlfriend, his newborn child and colleagues in the bakery in Sleen.