European Championship drama for Haverdings in winning position: Michels repeats as U23 champion, Gery beats Schreiber in women’s race

After two thrilling junior races, anticipation was high for the U23 women, many of whom also compete in the elite category. Unlike the earlier races, the peloton didn’t stay bunched up for long. Schreiber set a blistering pace for Luxembourg from the start, which only Gery (France) and Dutch talent Bentveld could follow in the first lap. Czech rider Kristyna Zemanová struggled to keep up.

Schreiber powered through the first two laps at full speed, preventing Zemanová from closing the gap. The main group of chasers was already over a minute behind. After three laps, the number four finally cracked, making it clear that the medal contenders were set—but in what order?

As the race neared the end, Schreiber’s pace began to take its toll. In lap four, Bentveld briefly dropped back but managed to rejoin the leaders at the line with two laps to go. However, she was on the edge, and in the penultimate lap, Bentveld dropped again while Gery held on by sheer grit. It was all hands on deck for the final lap, with Schreiber not relinquishing the lead for a second. Gery clung to her wheel, proving more explosive in the sprint. Bentveld finished in third place.

We hadn’t seen much of the Dutch jerseys up front yet, but in the U23 men’s race, TeamNL got off to a strong start with Haverdings. The young rider made a bold break from the start, creating significant gaps on the first pass by the finish line. Jente Michels (Belgium) and Italian Samuele Scappini kept Haverdings in sight, while the Dutch team stayed vigilant behind to respond to any attacks. Haverdings, noticing the situation, allowed Michels and Scappini to catch up. The Belgian titleholder then set the pace in the second lap.

However, the pace wasn’t high enough, allowing a group to rejoin at the front. When Scappini briefly had to put a foot down, a gap opened between Michels, Haverdings, and Dutch rider Danny van Lierop. It became two against one, with Van Lierop overplaying his hand a bit. His attack was neutralized by Michels, after which only Haverdings managed to match the Belgian’s pace increase. Surprisingly, with four laps to go, Filippo Agostinacchio—the older brother of newly crowned European champion Mattia—joined the leaders.

The trio seemed to have struck an important blow, with only the French chasing group trailing far behind. Agostinacchio boldly jumped over the barriers and often took the lead, which the others were fine with. But the longer they rode together, the question arose: just how strong is Agostinacchio? How would he fare in a sprint? Michels set the pace, with Haverdings daring to follow toward the final lap.

With Belgian Yordi Corsus and Frenchman Aubin Sparfel only ten seconds behind, the race heated up. Michels remained in the lead, but Haverdings moved forward in the closing moments. Agostinacchio aggressively got between them but was quickly put in check. Michels and Haverdings went shoulder-to-shoulder into the final corners until Haverdings hit his handlebars hard—chain broken! The delay gave Michels a gap, which he held to the finish. Agostinacchio took silver, Sparfel bronze. Haverdings, pushing his bike along, finished tenth.