Healthy Aging Tour 2018 Preview

Apr 4
cyclical

It’s very difficult to call this race anything other than its original name, the Energiewacht Tour, even if this is the second year under its rebadging as the Healthy Aging Tour. Run in the Groningen province in the northern Netherlands, this is a race for powerful rouleur-type riders.

You don’t need to bother turning up if you are a climbing specialist – the highest altitude in the whole of Groningen province is apparently about 15 meters above sea level. So much of the land has been reclaimed, significant chunks of the race profile are actually below sea level.

The race attracts a strong mix of World Tour teams, national squads often loaded with big names, and regional teams. This gives younger riders the chance to rub shoulders with the stars in a well-run and prestigious event without the pressure of the World Tour looming over them.

 

History

The podium places have been an almost exclusive domain of the Dutch and the Germans – the only rider from outwith those countries to make the top three overall was Luxembourg’s Christine Majerus in 2016. Three-time defending champion Ellen Van Dijk skips the event this year (as does her Sunweb team, surprisingly). Other previous winners include Adrie Visser (2011), Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (2012), Lucinda Brand (2014) and Lisa Brennauer (2015).

 

Contenders

With what looks like a ‘sledgehammer to crack a nut’ approach, Boels-Dolmans bring the seemingly unstoppable Olympic champion Anna van der Breggen, fresh from her storming solo win at the Tour of Flanders. The Dutchwoman is backed by world champion Chantal Blaak, ex-world champ Amalie Dideriksen, Christine Majerus and current World Tour leader Amy Pieters. Given that stage 3b is a team time trial, the potential exists for Boels-Dolmans to dish out a hammering, but just maybe their overwhelming strength might count against them if other teams gang up.

Canyon-SRAM have the on-form Lisa Klein and experienced Trixi Worrack, while Wiggle-High5 have Kirsten Wild and Lisa Brennauer, backed by track star Rachele Barbieri and the Garner sisters.

Waowdeals have a strong line-up (Koster, Rooijakkers, Korevaar, Markus, Van de Ree and Gafinowitz) used to the roads, weather and terrain, as do Parkhotel Valkenberg. Hitec Products – Birk Sport bring experience (ex-world champion Tatiana Guderzo) and youth (Susanne Andersen). Virtu Cycling also have a powerful selection including Barbara Guarischi, Christina Siggaard, Mieke Kroger and Emilie Moberg).

Away from the World Tour stars, WNT Rotors have some interesting riders who could spring a surprise, but the strongest and most interesting squad appears to be the Dutch national team. Even missing the Boels-Dolmans contingent, and Ellen Van Dijk, they bring Floortje Mackaij, Julia Soek, Roxanne Knetemann, Karlijn Swinkels, Maaike Boogaard and Marjolien Van t’Geloof – an eye to future world championship and Olympic Games selections as much as an attempt to win this race.

 

Stages

Stage 1 is a short, 8-kilometer individual time trial around Heerenveen city centre which will establish a hierarchy while keeping gaps manageable. The stage starts and finishes on Abe Lenstra Boulevard, and has 11 corners, a couple of sweeping s-bends and long straights suiting someone who can push a big gear.

 

Stage 2 is the Westkwartier – Grootegast leg of the race over 131 kilometers, which starts and finishes on the Hoofdstraat in Grootegast. Kicking things off is a long, clockwise loop out to towns like Oldehove and Aduard, before three finishing circuits of 14 kilometers. It has sprint finish written all over it, especially as the closing circuit has some long straights, isn’t too technical and gives the riders the opportunity to size up the race to the line, check the wind and road conditions and work on positioning.

 

Stage 3a on Friday morning is essentially a souped-up 66-kilometer criterium. Four anti-clockwise laps around the Oldambtmeer and to the finish on Nassaustraat in Winschoten looks like a sprint win for Wiggle-High5’s Kirsten Wild.

 

Friday is a split-stage day, so Stage 3b in the afternoon is the team time trial, a useful chance for Boels-Dolmans to reassert their dominance in the discipline after losing their world title to Sunweb in Norway last year.

The teams head south off Stadskanaal’s Europalaan on a 17.5-kilometer drag race, and face (according to the route map) six corners before finishing on the Hoofdtraat. It will be interesting to see how Virtu Cycling and Canyon-SRAM do here given that they don’t have all of their A-list TT riders present.

Saturday’s Stage 4 is the longest of the event, 143 kilometers, starting and finishing in Winsum’s Hoofdstraat Obergum. Again, it offers fans the chance to see the riders multiple times, with one long opening lap and three finishing circuits.

It looks like a much more challenging route, lots of twists and turns, and there is the potential for wind-induced chaos as the northernmost sectors of the race will hug the Waddenzee coast.

The Healthy Aging Tour concludes on Sunday with Stage 5 in Groningen city centre, over 95 kilometers. It looks like a nailed-on sprint finish, after 14 loops of a 6.6-kilometer course which starts and finishes on the Vismaarkt.

Fans can watch the whole race, livestreamed via @PodiumTVnl and by following #HAT18 on Twitter.