We are two days away from the start of the most prestigious race in the U23 category, the Tour de l’Avenir. After a brief hiatus in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic, the race is back at its fullest with nine stages after the initial prologue. It will be a showdown among the best talents in the category, and Daan Hoole (Netherlands), Marco Frigo (Italy) and Stan van Tricht (Belgium) will represent our Academy there. 

Read their goals and ambitions ahead of the 10-day journey in France: 

Daan Hoole, is ready for his second participation at the Tour de l’Avenir: 
“The goals are basically to win a stage and within that range, and I am especially targeting the prologue and team time trial. Also, I want to help the Dutch team to go for stage wins and a good GC with our overall leader. I expect it to be a hard race with a really high level among the riders. It is always a great race, well-organized, and  I am really looking forward to it. With the national team, we have a strong team and definitely can go for a stage win and good GC!”

Stan van Tricht is looking forward to the race after a solid training block:
“My goal for Tour de l’Avenir is definitely to win a stage. The last training block also gave me confirmation that the shape is good enough. I expect that there will be some opportunities for me in the first 6 stages, which fit me well. I think that it will take some aggressive riding to create a situation in which I can finish it after a hard final”. 

Marco Frigo aims for the best possible result of the Italian National Team: 
“I can say that my first goal is to be strong and support my national team and put down good performances. If that happens, then a potential stage win or a good placement will be on the cards, but always with the team’s best interest in mind. I will adapt my ambitions to what is best for the team. The level will be really high and that previews an exciting race. One of the goals will be not to lose time in the first stages and then, we will take it day by day in the mountains and see what happens in the overall classification”.