Laurens ten Dam selects Olympic speed skating champion Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong for first pro race

Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong will start in a professional race for the first time this month. The Olympic champion in the 1500 meters speed skating event has been selected by national coach Laurens ten Dam to join the Dutch team at the Omloop der Kempen Ladies on May 16.

Rijpma-de Jong is no stranger to cycling. The speed skater is currently the reigning Dutch champion for elite riders without a contract, having finished ahead of Sanne Bouwmeester and Florien Bolks in the Ronde last year. This year, the Dutch rider also finished seventh in Gravel One Fifty, a gravel race that is part of the Gravel World Series.

Ten Dam confirmed to WielerFlits that Rijpma-De Jong will start in the Dutch 1.1 race, which was won last year by April Tacey. The provisional start list also includes names such as Lorena Wiebes, Femke Gerritse, Nienke Veenhoven, Floortje Mackaij, and Nina Kessler.