A few hours before the start of the road race for men, the organization of the NK cycling decided to shorten the course by more than 14 kilometers. Bad weather conditions are expected in Drenthe in the afternoon.
After consultation with the team leaders and jury, the 89 riders will ride not 27 but 25 laps of 7.3 kilometers around the VAM mountain. The race is therefore 182.5 km instead of 197.1 kilometers.
On Saturday, the women already had to deal with rain and wind on the course around Wijster during their road ride. This can be extra dangerous on the narrow roads of the local round. In recent days there has also been some criticism of the NK course.
Annemiek van Vleuten, who finished second behind Anna van der Breggen, gave the organization compliments after the women’s race. “Let’s not be critical this year, but emphasize what we do have and that was a nice NK on a nice and selective course”, the world champion said. Cycling Flash.
The men’s road race starts at 1 p.m. According to the forecasts, it will rain heavily around Wijster in the afternoon.
Even after the shortening it promises to be a very tough NK. The riders still have to climb the VAM mountain fifty times. The first climb is 200 meters long and has an average gradient of 12 percent, while the finish is after a climb of 500 meters at 7 percent, with a maximum gradient of 24 percent.
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