Fabio Jakobsen and Lorena Wiebes have to help the Netherlands to gold this month at the European Road Cycling Championships in Munich. The selections of national coaches Koos Moerenhout and Loes Gunnewijk are geared to the two top sprinters because of the flat course, cycling association KNWU announced. Jos van Emden and Ellen van Dijk are the most important names in the time trial.
Among the men, in addition to Jakobsen, Van Emden, Danny van Poppel, Daan Hoole, Nils Eekhoff, Pascal Eenkhoorn, Jan Maas and Elmar Reinders will also participate in the road race on August 14. “With this strong team we can support Fabio well and we want to drop him off in the best possible place for a bunch sprint,” said Moerenhout. In the time trial on August 17, he says a place in the top 10 for Van Emden is “a realistic goal”.
With the women, Wiebes will receive the help of Van Dijk, Riejanne Markus, Demi Vollering, Charlotte Kool, Floortje Mackaij, Jeanne Korevaar and Anouska Koster on August 21. “Lorena Wiebes is currently one of the fastest women in the peloton. During the Tour de France Femmes, she took two stage victories in this way,” says Gunnewijk. “We are going for double gold”, the national coach adds about the chances of world champion Van Dijk in the time trial on August 17. Markus also participates in this.