Decuypere and Wood, two’guests’ for Polartec-Kometa Junior
As a result of the collaboration agreements for the exchange of cyclists between the Fundación Contador and the CT Soenens-Booom training team, through the Flanders Youth Cycling Academy, the Asturian Challenge Montaña Central 2018 is a chance to see two of the talents of the Belgian structure, Nathan Decuypere and Harrison Wood, in action with the colours of the Polartec-Kometa junior.
For the Belgian Decuypere, who is facing his fifth year of competition, it will be his first experience on the Spanish roads, an opportunity that comes just a few weeks after winning his first UCI 1.1 success in the Netherlands: the Arno Wallaard Memorial. “It was very special,” he recalls, “I beat the sprint in the small group that reached the finish line. On his temporary arrival at the Polartec-Kometa he added: “It will be an honour to be able to wear the colours of the Contador Foundation this weekend and I hope to capture a beautiful victory. I’m in good shape and I’m very motivated. And I’m looking forward to meeting all the members of the team”.
The Brit Wood already knows what it’s like to compete in junior events on state soil. In the summer of 2017 he took part in the Bizkaiko Bira, enrolled in the HMT-JLT Condor Cycling, finishing the twenty-first of the final general classification. “I’m very excited about this opportunity. It is very special for me to compete in Alberto Contador’s team, because he is my favorite cyclist. I hope to have a good race with the team and I hope to do well”.
This agreement between the Fundación Contador and the Flanders Youth Cycling Academy is bidirectional and foresees that in the near future two of the young riders of the junior structure will go abroad to compete with the CT Soenens-Bloom, structure with which these ties have been strengthened in 2018 after the past campaigns were developed with the also Belgian Tielste Rennersclub Team.
“It all starts with Johan Molly, a great connoisseur of the Belgian cycling scene with whom we have had a close relationship for years; even his son Kenny, who is now in a continental team, the AGO Aqua Service, was in our structures. We chose to implement this type of exchange so that the riders have more international experiences, beyond the experiences with their national teams or in competitions abroad, and also compete with cyclists coming from abroad. It is linked to the commitment to sports development, seeking an understanding of the competitive reality beyond our borders, which is not an opportunity that happens every day or for all cyclists. A training not only sports, but also with a vital and cultural aspect”, explains Félix García Casas, sports manager of the teams of the Contador Foundation.
