Jeugdtour - junior tour

This week has seen the 45th Jeugdtour Assen. It's the largest youth cycling event in the world. This year it is being named "Junior la Vuelta" to tie in with the Vuelta a Espana, which is starting here in Assen later this month - the first time ever that it has started outside Spain.

Judy took the photo of cyclists in the criterium through the forest this morning. They're racing on one of the roughest surfaces in the area, which I'm beginning to think is maintained like this specifically to add a bit of "A Sunday in Hell" to racing events. I saw a little of the prologue on Monday, but unfortunately missed the rest. Our local TV station has a report from the prologue:



Well done to all the competitors. Results are appearing on the website.

In addition, I've learnt that the cycle racing track in Assen is to be improved. We've already got what I thought was a pretty good tarmac track for a town of 65000 (you can see some pictures in this video), but the existing 780 metre oval is to be extended and improved, and we'll gain a cyclo cross course, a national cyclo cross centre, a sportshall and a 200 metre wooden track. Excellent !

At 1:55 in the video there is an interview with a young cyclist from the UK (Cleveland Wheelers). I wonder if he realises he's been on TV over here ?