Development Niels Driesen takes bronze at U23 European Championships in Ljubljana

“Going home with a medal means you can’t be unhappy. I’m definitely satisfied,” Driesen looks back. “With the legs I had today, I think bronze was the best possible result. I didn’t have the best feeling. I think the fatigue from the World Championships was still in my legs, and perhaps the jet lag played a role as well. Still, I don’t want to make excuses. Alvarez was by far the strongest.”

Although the course in Montréal was even tougher, Driesen also faced a demanding race in Ljubljana. “It was a tough course here as well. The climb was steep, with sections reaching gradients of up to 16%. The three of us in the chase group had to go very deep to catch back up with Alvarez on the climb. Then he chose the right moment to attack again, and we had no answer.”

With his bronze medal, Driesen rounds off a strong week, exactly seven days after finishing fifth at the U23 World Championships. “We deserved to finish these championships with a medal because, as a Belgian team, we rode two extremely strong races. That definitely makes me happy.”

Photo: PhotoNews