The Visegrad 4 Juniors bike race took place from 26 to 28 August, which was the first youth World Cup race in Hungary. Due to the limitations of a coronavirus epidemic, it was the only Nations ’Cup race on the international calendar.
How did your career start, how did you come into the cycling?
I got acquainted with cycling in Szekszárd, I started a local race, and then I joined the local team, which was later followed by Tipográfia and KSI. We were in the Netherlands in 2018, where we found a manager with whose help I signed for my current club.
Please introduce the Willebrord Wil Vooruit team, how is this team different from another?
Primarily, the opportunity to race is what makes this team very different. We tour almost all of Europe, starting with the UCI category races. The roster is quite international, in addition to the Dutch, there are also Belgian, British, Malay, Slovak and New Zealand cyclists.
Bence Mészáros (l)
(Photo by Árpád Kurucz)
Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the coronavirus epidemic, a lot of races has been missed. How did your 2020 season turn out?
Unfortunately, due to the epidemic situation, I was only able to complete one training camp in Spain this year, at the end of February. Then I traveled to the Netherlands in mid-March, but the current race could no longer be held, so I was able to come home. Fortunately, after the restrictive measures, I was able to start the races in Hungary. Road championships were especially important to me. I finished second in the road race, and although I wanted to win, but I am still happy with my performance. Zétény Szijártó was better than me, he deservedly won. I managed to get the championship title in the time trial, with an average of 47 kilometers/hour.
Then came the first Hungarian youth World Cup, where you became the best Hungarian rider. How did you live these days?
I learned that there will be a junior World Cup race in Hungary this year. The date changed due to the coronavirus, but I was very happy that it was finally arranged.
The first stage was a 95-kilometer, completely flat stage. The peloton rode hectically all day. The real fight started on the city circuit, as we got to Nyíregyháza. The route was quite technical, we tried to get ahead of the peloton right away, but due to a fall, we slipped back. I tried to take Ármin Sánta forward in the last lap, so we reached the finish line behind each other. We were not happy with the results, but that was all we had that day.
The prologue ran largely on the same track as the first stage circuit. The Danish guy won with a brutal average and his compatriot who finished in second place also beat the third place rider by almost ten seconds. I was given nineteen seconds, which is not so dangerous, but I expected a better result.
The Ibrány stage followed in the afternoon. It was short, a bit windy, which is why we were in the front along with the DKSI-Kontent team. We pulled the peloton. I was able to sprint in the end, I was 14th, keeping my place in the Overall Classification.
The last stage, like the first day, led between Vásárosnamény and Nyíregyháza. There was a high tempo at the beginning of the stage, but we stopped a bit in the middle of the distance, therefore the race started again only the lap of Nyíregyháza. My goal was to keep my overall position. Ármin finished in the top ten and Kristóf Árvai also came from an excellent place on this day, which was a good result.
We were hoping for better performance, trusting a podium finish. It was not primarily a problem with our strength, but rather with the lack of international competitions. Most of the team has never started in a peloton of this strength.
Top row (l-r): Bence Mészáros, Bendegúz Mátyás Nagy, Ármin Konrád Sánta, Zétény Szijártó.
Bottom row (l-r): Kristóf Árvai, Márton Mack, Zsolt Dér team manager.
How do you see the future of the race?
I think we can learn a lot from hosting this World Cup, especially if it becomes a tradition and will be organized again and again, as this will put us on the international map, earn UCI points and have the chance to enter other World Cups. It was a good race, I was completely satisfied.
What’s your short and long term plans in cycling?
It’s hard to say what my short-term plans are now. I should provide a performance in the 2021 season, so that I can join a continental team in 2022. I want to become a professional.
