Development Team Picnic PostNL were in action at the Youngster Coast Challenge, one of the more prominent one-day races on the U23 calendar. On paper, the race was expected to come down to a bunch sprint, but the day unfolded differently on the roads near the Belgian coast. Early in the race, an 11-rider breakaway formed, with Pavel Šumpík representing the team at the front. The group worked well together throughout the day and, despite never building a significant advantage, managed to stay clear of the peloton.
As the race headed towards the finish, the breakaway held on to contest the victory among themselves. In the sprint, it was Eliott Boulet who took the win, while Šumpík threw his bike to the line to secure a strong third place after an impressive day in the break.
After the race, Šumpík said: “It was a great day for our team. The guys did a really good job keeping me well positioned at the front of the bunch, which allowed me to jump into the break with riders from most of the big teams. We worked well together, although we never built a big gap. I wasn’t sure if we would make it all the way to the finish, but in the end we did. In the sprint, I just tried to give everything I had left, although my legs were already really tired. Overall, I’m very proud of how we performed as a team and I’m already looking forward to the next race.”