National coach Gerben de Knegt travels with a compact selection to the Cyclo-Cross World Cup in Dublin. Leaders will be Ceylin Alvarado among women, Pim Ronhaar among elite men and Tibor del Grosso in the U23 category.
While Van der Haar, Pieterse and Worst, among others, chose not to ride, De Knegt kept the number of young riders limited from a cost perspective. ''I think that as a cyclo-cross country we should take our responsibility by starting in Dublin with U23s and juniors. But then I choose young athletes who have a sporting interest there and for whom this fits well into the structure of their winter."
In the elite, the national coach leaves the choice to the athletes. ''Sometimes a training block fits better into a rider's winter plan, while for others the relocation takes into account the load of such a weekend. With Puck Pieterse we have an athlete who will soon have MTB ambitions again. To me it is logical that athletes make these kinds of considerations. Just like I make my choices when selecting the young riders."
Dutch Men selection for Dublin World Cup:
Pim Ronhaar, Ryan Kamp and Corné van Kessel
Dutch Women selection for Dublin World Cup:
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Inge van der Heijden, Lucinda Brand, Denise Betsema, Manon Bakker, Aniek van Alphen, Leonie Bentveld, Lauren Molengraaf and Femke Gort