Last summer, the track team was established within the club structure of BEAT Cycling Club and achieved successes at the World Cups in Pruszkow (gold for Büchli in the keirin), Manchester (gold for Büchli in the keirin and silver for the team in the team sprint) and Minsk (gold for Büchli in the keirin and sprint, third for Bos in the sprint, and an impressive victory in the team sprint). These successes resulted in all three BEAT riders being selected for the track cycling world championships taking place February 28 to March 4 in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands.
Geert Broekhuizen, co-founder of BEAT Cycling Club, said: “Last season we launched the first commercial sprint track team in the Netherlands and, together with the riders, partners and Dutch cycling federation, we played a pioneering role in exploring the possibilities of a commercial team structure. We can look back on a successful debut season in which we laid a strong foundation for the team, achieved some great early successes, and generated excitement about the sport of track cycling among our members and partners. We are now entering into the next phase. Next season we will work on further developing the program and enhancing the guidance available to the riders in order to help them realize their ambitions, both individually and as a team, while involving our club members in the process.”
RIDERS FULL OF CONFIDENCE FOR SECOND SEASON
Veldt, who made his debut as coach at BEAT this year, said: “I am very pleased that we have been able to keep all the riders for the upcoming season, and I look forward to doing my part to further the development of the team, looking ahead to the future. After the track cycling world championships we will start the program for the coming season, with the World Cups, national championships and world championships again being important goals.”
Bos, the co-initiator of the track team, said: “I’m proud that we’ve been able to show the added value of a commercial track team this past season, and that creating this team has proven to be a good decision, especially given the results we have achieved. It’s great to be raising the level of track sprinting because giving more riders the opportunity to race at the highest level feels like somewhat of an obligation to me personally. I’m very happy to be part of the team again next season and to continue to build the team. I’m very much looking forward to taking the next step. Hopefully we can continue the great successes we achieved this last season.”
Büchli, who won four World Cups in his first year with BEAT and is reigning Dutch champion in the keirin, sprint and team sprint, said: “I am very happy that I can extend my contract with BEAT. I think the results from our first season were above expectations. I want to continue this program so that we can achieve success again next year. The atmosphere in the team is great, and I am pleased that all three of us have extended. We hope to ride well with BEAT during the upcoming World Cup season and focus on our long-term goal, preparing for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in the best way possible.”
Van den Berg had a strong 2017 season at BEAT, taking a bronze medal in the team sprint at the European championships and the national title in that discipline a few months later. He said: “We all entered into this adventure together last year, and I really enjoyed this experience, so it’s great to be extending with BEAT. I am confident that we are going to improve even more in the run-up to next season with the next steps the team is taking, which should result in even better performances.”
KEV MONKS FOR DIGITAL SPORTS GROUP
Source: DSG
