Tim Merlier and Olav Kooij on the podium of the
European Championships won't surprise anyone, but... who's the third guy? Many commentators were in desbelief, frantically listing through their printed startlists but... Yes! It is the 21-year-old Estonian talent
Madis Mihkels. Are you surprised? I don't know anyone who wasn't. This result only underlines the superb work of scouts at
Intermarché - Wanty, who thus secured fourth medal in Limburg.
In an interview with the Estonian national broadcaster ERR he describes the final parts of the race, where he had to rely mostly in his own intuition: "Only Karl Patrick Lauk was still with me in the last kilometer. In the end I decided to go after Kooij, he kept me out of the wind which gave me momentum. I thought I was getting closer to Merlier and Kooij in the last meters. It was just perfect," says Mihkels.