Swedish Visma | Lease a Bike signing makes name in junior Tour of Flanders

Last weekend, the Tour of Flanders for juniors took place in and around Oudenaarde. It was won by 18-year-old Swede Elias Wändel, who will join the development team of Visma | Lease a Bike in 2027.

Unlike the Tour of Flanders for professionals, the junior edition does not feature many climbs. The only obstacles on the route were the cobbles of Karel Martelstraat, Holleweg, and Varent, as well as the climbs of Achterberg and Wolvenberg. These challenges had to be tackled five times over several laps.

At the finish, Jegg-Skil-De Jonge Renner was dominant. The team with a partnership agreement with Visma | Lease a Bike occupied the entire podium. Besides Wändel, who narrowly edged a group of ten riders, Danish rider Malthe Risbjerg and Belgian Mauro Keppens also made their mark.

In 2027 and 2028, Wändel will ride for the development squad of Visma | Lease a Bike. Last year, he already stood out with a seventh place at the Junior World Championships in Rwanda and recently at the Peace Race.

In the women's race, victory went to 17-year-old Lise Revol.