The North Holland Riejanne Markus became Dutch cycling champion on Saturday. “I certainly slept in my sweater. The Dutch title is not easy to grab and you should enjoy it fully,” she tells NH Nieuws. “That definitely includes a night in the sweater.”
“Every win is special and has a story. I think this is the most special. I don’t quite realize that I can wear the championship jersey for a whole year and wear those stripes on my sleeve for the rest of my life.” said an enthusiastic Markus.
“I felt good all day”
Strongest in sprint of two
About ten kilometers before the finish she and Shirin van Anrooij jumped away from the group with favorites. On the VAM mountain in Drenthe, she defeated her fellow escapee in the sprint and became Dutch champion. “I felt good all day long. It wasn’t a very long race and I didn’t feel like my neck had fallen off. So I had some confidence, but I knew I shouldn’t underestimate Van Anrooij,” says Markus.
Amy Pieters
Riejanne Markus succeeds Amy Pieters, who won the championship last year. The cyclist from Zwanenburg suffered serious brain damage in a fall in December and was therefore unable to defend her title this year. “I race with Amy in my head all year round. Before the start we had a great moment when we launched the Amy Pieters foundation. That was also emotional, because I am quite good friends with her. I hope I can give her a can do a little justice with the sweater and that Amy is proud of me,” says an audibly moved Markus.
On Thursday Markus will start in the Giro for women. After that, the Tour de France Femmes is on the program for the cyclist from De Zwarte Kat (municipality of Amstelveen).
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