Luca Vierstraete surprises with bronze medal in the U23 European ITT

Luca Vierstraete surprises with bronze medal in the U23 European ITT

 

It was an unforgettable day for 19-year-old Luca Vierstraete, who claimed Belgium’s first medal at the European Championships in Étoile-sur-Rhône: bronze in the U23 individual time trial. And it came as much of a surprise to Luca herself as to everyone watching.

“I’m really happy – I honestly didn’t expect this,” Luca said afterwards, smiling from ear to ear. “I would have been satisfied with a top-10 finish, but today I rode the best time trial of my life. I felt strong all the way, and the wind didn’t bother me much either.”

The 24-kilometre course produced an emotional moment when Luca saw her name in third place on the screen. Shock quickly turned into pure joy as she realised what she had achieved. Gold went to Italy’s Federica Venturelli, with Finland’s Anniina Ahtosalo taking silver.

For Luca, this medal is not only a reward for her hard work, but also a reflection of her versatility as both a road and track rider.

“I really enjoy riding on the track too. I still have ambitions there, like the World Championships in Chile. Racing with the elites on the track also makes me stronger as a rider. Of course, I’ll need to make choices along the way, but for now I want to keep combining both.”

With her bronze medal, Luca has written a first major international result on her palmares – and this is surely just the beginning.