Development Niels Driesen takes impressive fifth place at U23 World Championships in Montréal

The 21-year-old Belgian rode an attentive race and was part of the group fighting for the medals in the closing stages. “It was extremely tough. The succession of climbs really took its toll. In the final three laps, I felt that I was one of the stronger riders in the race and I was in the right breakaway.”

In the end, Barry proved to be a class above the chasing riders. Driesen tried several times to make the difference in the fight for the remaining podium places. “In the final lap, I tried to make the selection on every climb, but my legs were no longer fresh and we didn’t get any closer to Barry. My attack with one kilometre to go seemed like a good moment, because the Italian Scalco had just been caught as well, but I couldn’t get away. In the sprint, I had nothing left. That’s racing.”

Despite missing out on a medal, Driesen looks back on his World Championships with a positive feeling. “A medal might have been possible, but I have no regrets about the choices I made during the race. It was a great team performance, everyone gave it their all. Now it’s time to recover and focus on the European Championships!”

For Driesen, the fifth place is another confirmation of his strong season. Earlier this year, he won the Ronde de l’Isard and took a stage victory in the Giro della Valle d’Aosta. In August, he also finished second overall in the Tour de l’Avenir after winning the opening stage.

Halvor Dolven also played an important role at these World Championships. The Norwegian worked in support of his compatriot Jesper Stiansen, who eventually finished third.

Photo: PhotoNews