Zell am See is now just days away. For the 12th time the Austrian classic, the biggest classic of Division 6, will be held in the state of Salzburg. The race is set in the magnificent Alps and will inevitably be won by a top climber in the 6th division. A win that will mean big points and possibly move the winning team up a division; therefore many teams want to win this race.
The race is set around the town of Zell am See, which will send the riders from the lake and around all the way up the 3,000 meter high Kitzsteinhorn. Many great riders have already won the race and people still talk about the performance of Currito Torrens (Silencio) five seasons ago. Last year's winner was, for the 4th time, a Dutch rider. Giel Zeevenhoven of minions of static, is now participating in the 3rd division, and we still wonder why he has not been picked for the national squad by now. Another previous winner, Jimmy Waller previously of Velo Club Bored Man and now at Team Hurricanes, did make it to the national team. The win in season nine most definitely gave him that edge.
The Alps will give us another great winner this year. The Austrian race | | is a stepping stone for higher grounds, if a rider can manage the fame that comes with it. A win in Austrian mountains in Season 8 for Jurgen Schenkhuizen earned him a Southern Europe transfer, from Ahploeg to Roto blanco, but that turned out to be the highlight of his career. We have not seen Jurgen Schenkhuizen, or his team, perform much since. Let that be the only black page in the history books of this great race.
This year’s race will once again be competitive with many stronger climbers having signed up. Again, the low countries of Belgium and the Netherlands are well-represented. But it will be a Spaniard that thinks he has the best chance. Oro Roma of PlusGSM Team will give his career a boost with the Austrian title in his pocket and with a fairly strong team in support he could well do it. He has already won the French climbing race Pertuis – Manosque, which will see him coming into the race on a high.
Or will this year give us a Belgium winner for the first time? Chris Aelemans (aviacycling team) and Luis Daems (lorre88) are two great climbers that have their minds set on the trophy of Zell am See. Chris Aelemans is
| | a veteran and knows how to win a race and Luis Daems is at the start of his career. It will be a good battle to watch between the veteran and the rookie.
Or will the Dutch get their 5th win? Carlos Zegers (Presure), Meine Grasmaaijer (AVT) and Henk Ridder (jonathanas) will give the other three a good run for their money. These riders already have accumulated ten results together. They will most definitely want to give their teams this classic win.
These six will battle it out, but there are still others that will fancy their chances such as Hubert Fallander of Crescent DBS. The favourites have been silent and do not want to talk about the outcome of the race. But insiders say we are going to see a good battle between them.
Let’s hope the Alps are not the winners and we won’t see many injuries this year, because a fall at 3,000 meters can be nasty. And do cheer as the riders pass by, and support them all, especially my personal favourite, Adley Sloat of Barbados. This Curegem Sportif rider can need every support he can get.
(written by Finz of Royals)
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