UCI Nations’ Cup: French Juniors rule the world, Belgians U23 impress

Just two weeks after their compatriots dominated the Men Junior UCI Nations’ Cup, Frenchwomen narrowly edged the Dutch riders in the Women Junior competition. Belgians rose to the top of the UCI Nations’ Cup U23.

The 2022 edition of the UCI Nations’ Cup marked the return of two historical cycling countries at the summit of youth development. In the wake of Cian Uijtdebroeks’ victory in the Tour de l’Avenir, Belgium dominated the U23 competition this year, ahead of the Czech Republic and Denmark. In the Junior ranks, the French women got the best of the Netherlands to complete a spectacular double for their country, after their male compatriots won the Men Junior UCI Nations’ Cup.

Belgians collectively dominate the U23 rankings for the first time since 2014. Their riders won two events of the UCI Nations’ Cup, Course de la Paix-Grand Prix Jeseníky (Lennert Van Eetvelt) and Tour de l’Avenir (Cian Uijtdebroeks). After the last race of the season, the Orlen Nations Grand Prix, the Belgian selection is on top of the overall rankings with 80 points, ahead of Czech Republic (47 pts) and Denmark (46).

In the Women Junior’s competition, the last race of the season, Watersley Ladies Challenge, was the decider in a very tight battle. On Dutch soil, French youngsters powered to the overall victory ahead of the Oranje talent, with 148 points to 144. This is the first time France has won the Women Junior UCI Nations’ Cup, while the Netherlands had won five of the six previous editions (only a truncated 2020 edition through the pandemic had escaped them). Great Britain rounds out the podium.

Bäckstedt keeps impressing, France dominates collectively

To take victory home, the young Frenchwomen could rely, notably on Eglantine Rayer’s talent, but also on the depth of their field. The two-time medallist at the European Championships (silver in the Women Junior individual time trial and gold in the road race) won the Tour du Gévaudan Occitanie femmes ahead of her compatriot Julie Bego.

Rayer’s talent was quickly noticed; she will join Team DSM in 2023.

At the end of August, she also finished 3rd in the Biskaikoloreak. The winner on Basque roads was the Netherlands’ Nienke Vinke, who had already won Gent-Wevelgem.

Zoe Bäckstedt was the best individual scorer of the season. The British sensation (a UCI Junior UCI World champion on the track, the road and in cyclo-cross) racked up a tally of 102 points after her recent dominant display in the Watersley Ladies Challenge: three stage wins and the overall victory, in three days of racing. Racing on Dutch soil suits her well; she had already dominated the EPZ Omloop van Borsele in April (2 stage wins and the GC).

Ultimately, it was France’s variety of talents that got them the win, with seven different riders taking points throughout the year: Eglantine Rayer, Alizée Rigaux, Lise Ménage, Maurène Trégouët, Aurore Pernollet, Heïdi Gaugain (the last two having also recently shone in the UCI Junior Track World Championships and Ambre Radadi.

From France to Thailand, riders from 26 countries have scored points.

Belgium’s stage racers lead the way

In the UCI Nations’ Cup U23, Belgium’s victory essentially came from Cian Uijtdebroeks’ and Lennert Van Eetvelt’s results in stage races. The former, already a professional rider with UCI WorldTeam Bora-Hansgrohe, scored 36 points in the Tour de l’Avenir, where he won two stages in the mountains along with the overall classification. And all of this at only 19 years old.

Just 18 months older, Van Eetvelt (a member of Lotto-Soudal U23, set to join the UCI WorldTour with Lotto-Dstny in 2023) tamed Czech summits to win stage 3 and the overall classification of Course de la Paix-Grand Prix Jeseníky .

Davide Bomboi and the U23 European ITT champion Alex Segaert completed the Belgian tally. The best scorer of the season was the Czech Republic’s Mathias Vacek, with 42 points. He is set to discover the UCI WorldTour with Trek-Segafredo.

Great Britain took the early lead when Samuel Watson (a member of Continentale Groupama-FDJ, who will join the French UCI WorldTeam in 2023) won Gent-Wevelgem/Kattekoers-Ieper. Denmark’s Morten Nørtoft was the last winner of the season, in the Orlen Nations Grand Prix.

From Belgium to Estonia, riders from 28 countries have scored points.

These young stars are now expected to show in Australia, with the titles up for grabs in Junior and U23 categories in the 2022 UCI Road World Championships held in Wollongong (September 18-25).