Michiel Mouris seals a Dutch double in the World junior ITT's
Michiel Mouris (Netherlands) won the men's junior ITT with a well-paced effort across the 22.6 kilometre course in Kigali. The victory made it a successful day for the Netherlands as Megan Arens won the women's junior ITT earlier in the day on Tuesday.
After Megan Arens took the glory in the women's junior individual time trial in the morning, it was time to see what the next generation of men's prospects could achieve in their individual efforts against the clock. The course for the men's junior individual was 22.6 kilometres in length, entailing 350 metres of elevation for the riders to tackle.
The first rider was underway at 14:00 CEST in Rwanda in front of yet again, packed out roadsides full of adoring fans who cheered on the early riders eager to show the world what they could do.
The fight for the top 10 was tight, with only slim margins separating the riders. With just over ten left to finish, 17-year-old Belgian Seff Van Kerckhove occupied the hot seat thanks to a benchmark time of 29:16, four seconds quicker than American Beckam Drake and ten faster than Britain’s Max Hinds.
Van Kerckhove remained in the hot seat until Michiel Mouris (Netherlands) produced the fastest splits at the second and third time checks, powering into the provisional lead with a time of 29:07. Ashlin Barry (USA) slotted into second at six seconds down, as Mouris secured the first ever men’s junior ITT world title.
The podium of Mouris, Barry and Van Kerckhove offered a glimpse of future battles at the highest level, but for now it was the Dutchman who made history as the inaugural champion.
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