Noah Ramsay to make Alpecin-Deceuninck racing debut
Toronto native will ride at the Olympia’s Tour, joining 4 other Canadians
Noah Ramsay will be sporting his brand-new Alpecin-Deceuninck kit at his first race for the Dutch team on Wednesday. Ramsay, from Toronto, will line up for the longstanding 5-day stage race in the Netherlands, the Olympia’s Tour, joining 4 other Canadians who are also competing.
The 22-year-old cyclist earned a spot on the Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team after impressing at the Zwift Academy, a program that serves as a gateway to professional cycling. This year’s Zwift Academy saw over 100,000 participants, with Ramsay and seven other finalists competing for two contracts. The men’s winner went to the Continental team of Mathieu van der Poel, and the women’s to CANYON//SRAM Zondacrypto Generation. Ramsay wasn’t the only Canadian at the camp. Calgary’s Annabelle Thomas there-and although some impressive rides in some of the tests, ended up not getting selected. That went to Australia’s Emily Dixon.
The finalists underwent various physical and tactical challenges, both on the road and on the Zwift platform, including races and performance evaluations. Kristof de Kegel, the performance manager at Alpecin-Deceuninck, said Ramsay excelled throughout the finals and was exactly the type of rider they were looking for. “He clearly demonstrated how he will be able to fit in with the Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team during the sprint challenge, where he held his own and outperformed the rest of the finalists.”
70th edition of the race
The race, which has been won in recent years by riders like Dylan van Baarle and Taylor Phinney, features several Continental teams such as Alpecin and Visma, as well as teams like Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Tudor Pro Cycling, and Club squads.
Other Canadians racing include Mathias Guillemette of Tudor Pro Cycling Team, Project Echelon Racing’s Jonas Walton, CT GIANT Store Assen – NWV’s Axel Froner, and Ethan Pauly.
The race kicks off with a 10.9-km TT in Beltrum.
If you’d like to hear more about what it was like at the Zwift Academy from Ramsay, give the Canadian Cycling Magazine podcast a listen.
Behind the scenes of the Zwift Academy win by Toronto’s Noah Ramsay