Gerben de Knegt surprised by Joris Nieuwenhuis' progress: "It wasn't that long ago that he called me to tell me that he wanted to make that switch"

Gerben de Knegt watched Joris Nieuwenhuis and Lucinda Brand as they rose to the throne of Dutch champions. Their performances seem to have satisfied the national team coach, he suggested to WielerFlits.

"This was no surprise," he says about Nieuwenhuis's triumph. "But it could just as well have been Ronhaar or Van der Haar. Although on this route it would be more between Ronhaar and Nieuwenhuis."

"This is great for Joris. He was a road racer for a few years and it is nice to see that he has found his way again. It wasn't that long ago that he called me to tell me that he wanted to make that switch again," De Knegt remembers the moment Nieuwenhuis decided to become a full-time cyclo-cross rider again.

Lucinda Brand's victory in Hoogeveen was quite a surprise. "I knew it was possible, but she broke her nose and that's not nice," he laughs. "It was not ideal preparation, but she indicated that it did not bother her much. At first I thought this was not the best course for her, but technically Lucinda did really well. She simply deserved to win."