As the only cycling criterion in the Netherlands, ‘Etten-Leur’ has managed to secure the brand-new Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard. He will make his appearance on Brabant territory next Sunday. “We are very proud of this,” says Vivianne de Laat on behalf of the organization. Tour winner Annemiek van Vleuten also appears at the start.
De Laat does not want to name an amount. But that Vingegaard will not come to the Netherlands for a few bucks to drive laps through Etten-Leur, that should be clear. “It took a lot of work,” emphasizes De Laat. And patience. Negotiations with Vingegaard were lengthy and ran through intermediaries.
Private jet
Vingegaard will be personally picked up and taken home on a private flight in Denmark on Sunday. His demands: wife and child must come along. “So they can also be seen here next weekend,” says De Laat.
In addition to Vingegaard, you can also admire the Dutch winner of the Tour de France in Etten-Leur: Annemiek van Vleuten. This also applies to well-known riders such as Wout van Aert, Koen Bouwman, Vicenzo Nibali, Ellen van Dijk, Lorena Wiebes and Wilco Kelderman.
Cherry on the cake
But it does not alter the fact that most attention is probably focused on Vingegaard’s yellow. “It is the icing on the cake if we manage to get the yellow jersey to Etten-Leur again,” emphasizes the organization of the Pro cycling round. “We want to get the best riders and we have succeeded again. We also expect extra visitors.”
The cycling professionals will be in action from half past two in the afternoon. They ride a time trial, a stage in line and a points race. Spectators do not have to pay an entrance fee.