Jumbo-Visma harvest success from another young talent Per Strand Hagenes: "It feels great to be able to win at this level"

Jumbo-Visma have won Tirreno-Adriatico today with Primoz Roglic, and have seen Jonas Vingegaard ride to third at Paris-Nice. It has been a very successful start to the season, but still the team's youth thrives, and today 19-year old Per Strand Hagenes took his first pro win at the Profronde van Drenthe.

“We didn’t actually know if we were going to be able to race today. The shortened course made it very hectic. The pace was high immediately from the start," Hagenes said in a press release. “We saw an opportunity to make the difference on the roads with heavy crosswinds. We gave it our all and that resulted in a smaller group up front. After some attacks by other riders, I ended up in at the front with three others."

Part of the team's development squad, Hagenes found himself racing with several of the elite riders as it was not a World Tour event. The 19-year old, who will turn pro with the elite team in 2024 and is already secured with the Dutch team until 2026, was part of an attacking group over the tough weather conditions that stormed Drenthe today, and took the opportunity to launch a solo move towards the end.

“The other riders were also very strong. I am not the fastest sprinter, so I knew I had to get rid of them. I went full gas with two kilometres to go. I hoped for the best. It wasn’t until five hundred metres from the finish line that I knew I would win. I looked back and I noticed a big gap," he details.

What followed was his first pro win, and a confirmation that Jumbo's trust in him isn't by chance. “It feels great to be able to win at this level. There were excellent riders at the start here. I hope this means I can become a good pro in the future. We will see," Hagenes concluded.