
It is one of the most unusual events in cycling and after Covid-19 made it unsafe to run the event in 2021, it came back this year to allow a variety of riders to experience one of the most brutal yet dazzling races they will ever do.
Outside of the Netherlands there aren't many people who are aware of it, but almost every year there is an event run on the Oosterscheldekering, a storm surge barrier that was built to prevent flooding in the country. Creativity took hold though and in 2013 this 8.5-kilometer long barrier started being used in the Dutch Headwind Cycling Championships and the name is exactly what the race is, a time-trial straight into some of the strongest headwinds a cyclist can face.
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This event is usually a last-minute decision which is part of it's essence, only in the upcoming days to the event is it scheduled when severe winds are in the forecast and in the right direction. And if racing into a fierce block headwind of 80 Km/h isn't already hard enough, all competitors must do it in an upright single-speed bike where aerodynamics are far from any priority.
The event was won by Jurjun van der Velde, a 25-year old drug research student from Leiden, whilst in the women's side Eindhoven's Lisa Scheenaard took the win. Van der Velde's time was of 20:22 making for an average speed of around 25Km/h.

Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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