The second edition of the Prins van de Peel gravel race took place today on the Princepeel estate near Wilbertoord. Kollum resident Bas-Luca de Vries proved to be the strongest in this eight-kilometer loop over agricultural land. De Vries attacked after 45 minutes and, along with Belgian Fabio Porco, closed in on leader John de Schutter. The trio’s lead remained around thirty seconds for a long time, but as the race progressed, it grew to over a minute and a half.
“When we were three men in the lead, I realized I was the strongest, and to stay ahead, I also did most of the work in front. Going into the last lap, I launched an attack, but Porco managed to join me but refused to take the lead. As a result, De Schutter also came back. I knew I had to be the first through the last corner and was able to take the win that way,” said de Vries. De Schutter took silver ahead of Porco. Teammate Teus Ruijter finished thirteenth, and Lola Bakker finished seventh.
Photo: Koen Hermsen