Emmen welcomes the Polka Dot Jersey on Sunday. Mountain king Giulio Ciccone gives an appearance in the renowned professional criterion De Gouden Pijl. The Italian finds, among other things, his teammate Bauke Mollema at his side.
It is a beautiful tradition in cycling. After the television viewer has been able to marvel at the largest cycling circus in the world for three weeks, the artists can be admired in person during the various professional criteriums in the country. The Gouden Pijl in Emmen has been one of the crème de la crème of the post-tourist circles around the church for years. Next Sunday, tens of thousands of people will again come to the center of the Drenthe place to encourage the heroes.
Vingegaard
A signboard is included. The ultimate trump card is the yellow jersey, but Jonas Vingegaard is keeping the number of criteria to a minimum this year, partly in connection with the World Cycling Championships that will soon be upon us. A close second is the Polka Dot Jersey in the person of Ciccone.
Exactly one week after the Italian from Lidl-Trek was honored in his white jersey with red dots on the Champs Elysées in Paris, the climber will make his appearance in Emmen’s Hoofdstraat. The 28-year-old Ciccone is now one of the big names in the professional peloton. Earlier this year he already won stages in the Tour of Valencia, the Volta a Catalunya and the Criterium du Dauphiné. He also earned the title of mountain king in that last game. Earlier in his career, Ciccone won three stages in the Giro d’Italia.
Also Poels at the start
Ciccone is not the only Tour rider to come to Emmen. Stage winner Wout Poels and participants Cees Bol, Danny van Poppel, Ramon Sinkeldam, Lars van den Berg and Nils Eekhoff are also present, while Dutch cyclocross champion Lars van der Haar and Emmenaren Kjeld Nuis and Tijmen Eising are also at the start of the Drenthe professional criterion. The professionals will be shot away on Sunday at 7.30 pm in the center of Emmen, which is full of entertainment with various stages with artists and the fair.
Emmen is not the only place where Tour riders can be seen. On Tuesday evening, the Profronde of Surhuisterveen is already on the roll of many cyclists. The Tuesday after the Golden Arrow (August 1) the peloton settles in the head of Overijssel at the Spectacle of Steenwijk.