Former Dutch youth champion Roan Konings reveals he was in talks with Jumbo-Visma ahead of 2022: "However I had already promised Metec to ride for them"

Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel rider Roan Konings is yet to make a big name in the professional peloton. However the now 20-years-old used to be considered a real prospect of Dutch cycling, consistently winning in the youth categories. Speaking to In de Leiderstrui, he now reveals that at the time he had offer to join Jumbo-Visma Development Team. Yet he doesn't regret his decision to develop under less pressure in smaller continental formation.

"I had an introductory meeting with Jumbo-Visma who were interested at the time. But as a second-year junior, I had already promised Metec, who approached me even earlier, to ride for them. So in the end I signed my contract in Metec."

"I am completely convinced that I made the right choice. In the current environment I can develop myself so well," Konings doesn't think he missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "The atmosphere between the riders is also great. Moreover, at Metec there is no pressure imposed on me to achieve certain things. And that might well have been the case at Jumbo-Visma."

As Konings enters his third year in the U23 category, a pressure to perform is slowly emerging. "I secretly expected a little more from myself," he confides. "According to them, it just takes time. After all, it is not possible for everyone to be there within two years. Maybe I just set the bar too high for myself, although that's kind of the nature of the beast. I'm a winner through and through, but of course it's not that simple."