Last weekend a studentcup was organised in Utrecht. We still don’t know whether it was a swimming or a cycling race, but according to buienradar it was dry almost all day! Therefore Conor, Robin and Tjalle decided to go by bike from Wageningen. This was a wise decision, since they could already get used to the race conditions. The rest of our Hellingprofs travelled by train. Although Strava doesn’t say so, Niels also went by bike from the Uithof in Utrecht, where hewas listening to singer Anton. The track was fast with only one real corner in it. For the men without license Alger, Bram, Conor and Martijn made it at the starting line. From the first moments it was full gas, resulting in gaps in the peloton. Bram told us before the start of the race he was not very motivated to ride in these weather conditions. It was also no surprise he rode through some sharp edged stones and got a puncture in the second lap. Unfortunately he was forced to leave the race and go to a nice BBQ. Alger and Martijn were both able to show some nice rowing performances with their long legs in the wet conditions and finished in a group behind the peloton on place 20 and 28. Conor really enjoyed the Irish weather and was continuously whistling on his bike. In the end a rider in front of him crashed and he lost contact with the peloton. He finished in a group behind the peloton on the 18 th place.
In the ladies category we only had Esther and Susan at the start. Esther rode a very strong race in the bunch, maybe because Mark cheered for her! Although Susan has a sharp sprint, she tried to force the breakaway multiple times. Unfortunately the other women were afraid of Susan and did not follow her, so a mass sprint was inevitable. Susan became 3 rd in her category and 5 th overall. Another podium place for her! Esther continued to show her good form after the GNSK and just missed the podium on the 4 th place. A super race from our ladies!
Finally it was time for the men with license: Niels, Robin and Tjalle were there for Hellingproof. Niels decided to attack with two sprinters of the Domrener. Luckily Niels also has a famous sprint, so he continued with these two riders. The breakaway managed to hold on until the finish and everybody expected Niels to easily win the sprint. Although he did all he could, he finished 3 rd His first ever podium place in a student race! Both Robin and Tjalle raced in the peloton and made sure the breakaway of Niels was safe (at the front and at the back of the peloton). Since they assumed Niels had won the race, Robin and Tjalle decided not join the sprint for place 4 and instead have a relaxed chat at the back of the peloton. This resulted in the 19 th and 20 th place for them.
