Among the big names, youngsters Romeo and Lecerf stand out in the UAE Tour

Behind the invincible Tadej Pogacar, the young riders made an impression on the slopes of Jebel Hafeet in the UAE Tour. Iván Romeo came incredibly close to the podium, but Junior Lecerf also rode an excellent race and finished in the top ten. They have a lot to be excited about.

Lecerf finished eighth, an excellent result for the 22-year-old climber from Soudal Quick-Step. Sitting in front of the TV was a well-known Belgian athlete cheering him on. Lecerf is in a relationship with Emma Van Lierde, daughter of Luc Van Lierde, the two-time Belgian sportsman of the year. Lecerf initially had no idea of the connection. "Until Emma mentioned that she came from a sporting family. Then I started thinking: Van Lierde, from Bruges... a little googling did the rest. Her father was Luc Van Lierde, wow," Lecerf told Het Nieuwsblad.

Van Lierde was a two-time Ironman Hawaii winner and a two-time world champion. The now 54-year-old Belgian is still fit, but a bike ride with his future son-in-law usually ends early. "When Junior is still warming up, I'm already at my limit. Although I would like to be able to stay on his wheel a little longer next spring, my new tires are already waiting. But even on the moped, I could see right away Junior's talent."

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Lecerf last season in the Vuelta a España

Romeo can suddenly compete with the best climbers

After the UAE Tour, Lecerf was very satisfied with his performance. "I'm very happy because it's my first time in the top ten at World Tour level," he said on the website of Soudal Quick-Step. "The team did a great job today, and it's also thanks to them that I got this result. It was an incredible stage for us; we were in the right echelon, and the guys took good care of me there. The climb was tough, but I did my best, and it feels incredible to finish eighth here after this big effort – I would go as far as saying it's my biggest achievement since turning pro."

Someone who did even better than the little Belgian was Iván Romeo. The 21-year-old Spaniard created the basis for a good ranking in the time trial and came extremely close to the podium in the final ranking with fourth place on Jebel Hafeet. But he certainly won't complain because the start of the year has been a whirlwind of positive surprises. "It has been a perfect start to the season, personally and collectively, and I think we will try to maintain this trend," Romeo told AS before the UAE Tour.

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Grand tours for Romeo? "I doubt it"

In the Tour of Valencia, the Spaniard claimed his first professional victory on the third day of the year. Emotions ran high, and Romeo could not hold back the tears. "What you ultimately feel is what you have been searching for for a long time. My goal for the season was to achieve my first professional victory. In the first half of the year, I managed to get that weight off my shoulders. It's always lovely; that's what we work for every day and how we do it. It was an outstanding team performance and feels even better."

Eighth in Valencia and fourth in the UAE Tour: where it was first thought that Romeo was 'only' a time trialist, he has suddenly transformed into a true GC rider. But maybe he won't be riding any grand tours at all. "I've never thought about participating in a grand tour in the future, and I highly doubt I will, given the current state of affairs in cycling," he says, referring to the dominance of men like Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. "Yes, stage races. I'm trying to do some of that this year, but I don't know what the future holds."

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