The Beatrix Theater in Utrecht was the sparkling setting on Monday evening for the National Cycling Gala, where the cycling world came together to festively close an impressive season. During a festive awards show, presented by Herman van der Zandt and Jip van den Bos and musically framed by artist and cycling fanatic Blaudzun, the most important cycling awards of the year were presented.
IMPACT Award
The IMPACT Award, which was presented for the first time this year, went to Stichting Ready2Race, an initiative dedicated to introducing children and young people to cycling in an accessible way. The award was presented by Maarten Ducrot and Michael Kastelijns on behalf of Staatsloterij.
Cycling awards
Harry Lavreysen was elected Cyclist of the Year, while Lorena Wiebes received the title Cyclist of the Year. The Talent of the Year award went to Senna Remijn. The Team of the Year award was given to the Dutch track teams in both the men's and women's events, which again impressed internationally this year.
In addition to the award winners, all national champions were put in the limelight. Also present in large numbers were the members of Club 48, co-organizer of the National Cycling Gala. Among them prominent former cyclists such as Jan Janssen, who along with other icons of the sport emphasized the connection with the rich Dutch cycling past.
Gala dinner
During the gala dinner preceding the theater show, organizations, partners and sponsors from the professional cycling world came together to network and look ahead to the coming year.
The Last Stage
The evening ended with The Last Stage, a live cycling talk show for which cycling fans could get tickets. Presenter Sander Kleikers welcomed Tom Dumoulin, José De Cauwer, Jip van den Bos and Stef Clement as an expert panel, supplemented by contributions from pros and prominent figures from the audience. Dumoulin was thereby honored with a special career award.
The successful evening clearly tastes like more. The organization is already looking ahead to a new edition next year.
