The Le Triptyque des Monts et Chateaux 2.2U race in Belgium took place from 1 to 3 April, with the final 95.7-kilometre stage won by last year’s One Belt One Road Nations’ Cup winner Per Strand Hagenes of Norway, now a Jumbo-Visma continental team rider. The Youth World Champion – this year’s first year U23 rider – finished in a commanding second place overall, just ahead of his compatriot Stian Fredheim (Uno-X Dare Development Team), the overall runner-up in last year’s Hungarian World Cup race – the Belgian race ended with a win for France Enzo Paleni (Equipe Continentale Groupama-FDJ).

Hagenes put in a great performance throughout, finishing the first stage in fifth place, the second in 42nd and the third individual time trial in third before winning the final chord to finish top of the points standings and the overall youth classification.

Of course, there will be a home Nations’ Cup Youth World Cup race in 2022, which, as originally planned, will host cyclists as the ninth stop of the ten-round series from 17 to 19 August.