Top talent Roan Konings chose Metec over Jumbo-Visma, but does not regret it: "Definitely the right choice"

In the 'Riders from the region' series, IDL editor Youri van den Berg likes to share the story of cyclists from North Brabant in the Netherlands, whether they have retired or not. In an extensive one-on-one conversation, now 20-year-old top talent Roan Konings explains that he had the opportunity to join a program at the current Visma | Lease a Bike (formerly Jumbo-Visma), but ultimately chose to join the Continental team Metec-Solarwatt p/b Mantel. A story about opportunities, victories, deep lows and ambitions!

I remember it as if it were yesterday. On April 1, 2014, I was riding from Hoeven to Sprundel with one of my best friends, where (still to this day) the training sessions of Willebrord Wil Vooruit took place. We were going to train for the first time at the cycling club that has produced countless world-class riders: from Dylan Groenewegen and Olav Kooij to Niki Terpstra and Thomas De Gendt. After only once conquering the approximately one and a half kilometer long circuit on the outskirts of Sprundel, I realized that the three years younger Konings was in a different tier from me. And perhaps that was not so strange. The cyclist from Oudenbosch was crowned Dutch champion twice in the youth categories.

You guessed it: my cycling adventure was over soon, but not for Konings. He continued winning in the youth and junior categories, partly racing for WV De Jonge Renner, another famous cycling club from North Brabant. He claimed dozens of triumphs, including victories in classics. In the juniors, he also added the well-known Top Competition to his list of achievements. In short, Konings is known as a talent with a significant track record. And now, at the time of writing, he is already starting his third season with Metec-Solarwatt p/b Mantel.

Konings could have pursued trajectory with Jumbo-Visma, but chose Metec-Solarwatt p/b Mantel instead

However, it quickly becomes clear that Konings could have chosen a completely different career path. "Especially as a junior, I was really going super hard. I achieved beautiful results in various races," he says. "It led to a meeting with Jumbo-Visma. I had piqued their interest very early on. But as a second-year junior, I had already committed to Metec that I would ride for them. They had approached me even earlier. My father was always a caretaker at Metec, so I already had a good idea of what that environment was like. I always had a good feeling about it. So ultimately, that's where I signed my contract."

"About a week after I had agreed to ride for Metec, Jumbo-Visma came knocking," he continues his story. "They also wanted me to do some tests to see what I was capable of. They also invited me to join a training camp. I did say that I was willing to come for a test ride, but at the same time, it wouldn't be fair towards Metec to go on a training camp and further engage in their program. So, out of respect, I chose Metec. Jumbo-Visma did not offer me a specific deal or contract at the time, although it certainly could have happened. I did perform the test and the results were good. But that's where it ended, as my period with Metec was about to begin."

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Death of his father taught Konings to put things into perspective

Considering the current supremacy of Visma | Lease a Bike, does Konings regret not joining their program? Apparently not. "Maybe a bit, but with such a team, it's mostly about the name. I am fully convinced that I made the right choice. In my current environment, I can develop myself so well. That's really great. Metec is a very nice team to ride in. I am extremely happy with how everything is arranged. The equipment is top-notch, as is the nutrition. We really can't complain about that. The atmosphere among the riders is also fantastic. Metec also doesn't put any pressure on me to achieve certain things. And that might have been different had I joined Jumbo-Visma."

The conclusion of this part of the story: Konings did not choose Jumbo-Visma, but the team where his father had been a caretaker for years. And this brings us to a difficult period in Konings' life. His father Roland died of cancer in 2020. "It teaches you to put things into perspective," the young man once told BN DeStem. He promised his father to get as far as he could as a cyclist. "I promised Roland that I would support Roan in everything. We both draw our motivation from that," his mother Jolanda said in the same interview.

No entrapped femoral artery, a fifth place in the Closing Price, and brimming with confidence

And now, as 2024 starts, Konings seems completely ready to definitively prove himself. "The step up to the U23 category has proven difficult," he honestly admits. 2023 was a season of ups and downs for the likable sprinter. "At the beginning of the season, everything was going according to plan. I was often close to achieving a good result. Towards the summer, however, things started to take a turn. I was having some trouble with my left leg. I even underwent a thorough investigation for that. They initially thought it might be an entrapped femoral artery, but thankfully that wasn't the case. Otherwise, I would have been in a worse situation," he says, referring to the severe consequences of such a problem.

What was the actual problem, then? No one knows to this day. "No one can really say. I experienced rapid muscle fatigue in my left leg. So many doctors had a look at it. I even had an MRI scan, but it showed nothing. I just started doing a lot of exercises, and eventually, the problem slowly went away. Don't ask me how, but it did." So, Konings could focus on a strong second half of the year. "When the summer was somewhat over, things started to improve in terms of results. I was able to finish the last two months of the season well." In his last race of the year, Konings sprinted to an impressive fifth place in the Closing Price of Putte-Kapellen. Surpassed only by men such as Coen Vermeltfoort and David van der Poel, in a sprint. "I had a great day. I was in the breakaway from kilometer ten. Except for a group of about ten riders, nobody caught up with us. In short, I rode at the front for the entire race and still finished fifth. I was, of course, very happy with that. And it meant I could head into the winter with great morale."

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We've mentioned it several times already: Konings was a rocket during his time in the youth categories, while now we are still waiting to see his definitive breakthrough. "I secretly expected a bit more from myself. Fortunately, the team doesn't put pressure on me and reassures me," he says optimistically. "According to them, it just takes time. After all, it's not a given for everyone to make it within two years. Maybe I just set the bar too high for myself, although that's also a bit in my nature. I'm a born winner, but of course, it's not that simple, haha! The fact is, it's important to maintain that motivation. Fortunately, mine is never far away. When you've won a lot in the youth categories, it brings a certain form of tension and pressure. But back then, I was a frequent winner, and at some point, that becomes much less. I knew that beforehand, of course, but you're still consciously or unconsciously thinking of it in the background."

Sprinting and the classics

So, what does Konings himself believe is in store for the coming years? "My main goal, of course, is to become a pro rider. That's what I am working on and living for. It won't be easy, but I am doing everything I can to achieve it. The next few years will reveal what more I have in me. Is it realistic? I think so, especially considering the training hours I'm putting in now. In the past few years, it wasn't a spectacular amount, usually around fourteen to fifteen hours per week. In the coming years, that's only going to increase. You quickly start heading towards eighteen to twenty hours. And by committing to that, I really hope to make significant strides and increase my engine power. That's the point where I can improve the most."

Therefore, the expectation is that Konings will be especially valuable in sprint stages and (Flemish) classics. "With a main focus on sprinting," he believes. "It shouldn't be too crazy in terms of elevation gain, but around 1,000 to 1,500 meters should be manageable. If I can still sprint on days like that, I have a good chance of winning. In 2023, I weighed about 69 kilograms, for 2024 we want to go towards 73 kilograms. That means gaining a lot of muscle mass. I'm not necessarily worried that this increase in weight will make it harder for me on the hills. The power-to-weight ratios are, after all, going to increase anyway."

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Not in World Championships selection, but shortly thereafter finished among Gregoire, Tarling and Segaert

Finally, an anecdote from 2021. At that time, Konings was achieving one top result after the other, but to everyone's surprise, he was not selected for the World Junior Cycling Championships organized in Leuven. A week after the world championship, he took third place in the final stage of the Three Days of Axel, perfectly positioned between (and especially ahead of) several prominent World Championship contenders. The likes of Romain Grégoire, Joshua Tarling or Alec Segaert. "Unfortunately, at that time, things did indeed work out very strangely with the national coach. I had nine victories that season and was simply one of the better guys in that group," he reflects.

"I wasn't selected because he wanted to give others a chance. That was really a peculiar story. That coach was ultimately also fired pretty quickly!" he says, not shying away from the memory more than two years later. And that same national coach - Marco van Bon - also made a mistake at the World Championships by putting team leader Tibor del Grosso on the bench when it turned out that the Netherlands had registered one rider too many for the road race. But those are details. Good luck, Roan!