Surprisingly, the Dutch team sprinters did not win a medal at the European Track Cycling Championships in Konya, Turkey, on Sunday. Harrie Lavreysen’s team was eliminated by the Czech Republic in the first round.
Lavreysen formed a trio in Konya with Roy van den Berg and Loris Leneman, not the strongest line-up. In the qualifications the team recorded the seventh fastest time (43.512).
In the match against the Czech Republic, the Dutch clocked 43.013, but the Czechs were significantly faster with 42.271. The team sprinters won silver at the European Track Cycling Championships in Heusden-Zolder last year. The team won gold every four years before that.
Lavreysen told Omroep Brabant on Saturday that he is not in top form and was tense before the European Championship. “I think the tournament is coming up quickly in 2025. My preparation is not great, but I would like to ride. It is the last tournament that does not count for the Olympic Games and that is noticeable. I am a bit more relaxed about it.”
