From February 12 to 16, 2025, the Sport Vlaanderen Heusden-Zolder Velodroom Limburg in Heusden-Zolder (Belgium) will host the Elite European Track Cycling Championships, the event that opens the Union Européenne de Cyclisme's organizational season and will see the continent's top specialists compete.
The participant field, with 326 registered athletes from 26 nations, promises to be of the highest level, offering a series of interesting insights for all the events that will award 22 titles. Among the standout names in the competition is the multi-time Olympic, World, and European champion, the Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen, who has dominated the sprint sector in recent years and is ready to confirm his status as the discipline's reference point. With him, his compatriot Yoeri Havik, the 2023 World Champion in the madison, will be among the protagonists in the endurance events.
For Italy, the presence of Elia Viviani stands out, a multiple European champion and Olympic gold medalist in Rio 2016 in the omnium, as well as a two-time World Champion in the elimination race. Besides Viviani, winner of stages in the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta Espana, the Italian team can rely on Chiara Consonni and Vittoria Guazzini, Olympic champions in Paris 2024 in the madison.
From Great Britain, all eyes are on Matthew Walls, Olympic gold medalist in the omnium in Tokyo, while Germany relies on Roger Kluge, a track veteran capable of excelling in endurance races. Portugal looks to the Olympic gold medal-winning madison pair Rui Oliveira and Iuri Leitao, the latter also silver medalist in the Omnium at the recent Olympic Games.
Among the women, the presence of German riders Lea Sophie Friedrich and Pauline Sophie Grabosch stands out in the sprint events, and Franziska Brauße, a reference point in endurance events, already European and Olympic champion alongside Lisa Klein and Mieke Kröge, as well as the Dutch Maike van der Duin, a specialist in endurance events.
Also notable is the current European road champion and World Champion in the scratch race, Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands). The Belgian national team arrives with a solid and ambitious squad. In the endurance events, focus is on Lindsay De Vylder and Jules Hesters, both reference athletes for group specialties, while among the women, eyes will be on the young Hélène Hesters, Katrijn De Clercq, and Marith Vanhove.
Enrico Della Casa, President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme: "The Union Européenne de Cyclisme has long had a deep connection with Heusden-Zolder, a location that over the years has become a reference point for our sport. From European Cup and BMX European Championships trials, to road European Championships time trials, and now to a new and extraordinary chapter in its cycling history: the European Track Championships. It is a true privilege to inaugurate the long series of major events in this modern and cutting-edge facility, which represents a concrete investment in the future of cycling. A strong signal, in a year following the Olympic Games, confirming how crucial it is to continue developing excellent infrastructure for the growth of the discipline. I want to thank the Flemish Government, with Minister Annick De Ridder, and the Province of Limburg, with Governor Jos Lantmeeters, the Mayor of Heusden-Zolder, Mario Borremans, and National Lottery with Jannie Haek for their trust and, above all, for their commitment to creating this structure, destined to become a reference point for European cycling. A heartfelt thanks also to Belgian Cycling and its president Tom Van Damme, with whom we have shared a solid and fruitful collaboration for years, and to the tried-and-tested organizing committee of the Circuit Zolder with Harry Steegmans."
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