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Riders battle strong winds at the Dutch Headwind Cycling Championships (VIDEO)

Nov 21, 2016

Storm Angus may have stopped the UCI World Cup Cyclo-cross round taking place in Kosijde in Belgium yesterday but it didn’t stop the Dutch Headwind Cycling Championships from taking place across the border.

It was the fourth edition of the race and as could be seen from various video clips, riders had a very difficult time staying upright.

The race took place at the Oosterschelde barrier in Zeeland in the South of the country where riders had to tackle gusts of up to 110 kilometres per hour

The participants had to ride a distance of eight kilometres along the barrier, and road bikes weren’t allowed. The riders had to use ‘normal’ bikes without gears.

Het is echt echt écht heel zwaar dit jaar. pic.twitter.com/ko4GiCfDAU

— NK Tegenwindfietsen (@NKTegenwind) November 20, 2016

200 riders took part and amongst the recognisable names were former pro Johnny Hoogerland. There was also a team competition with 20 teams lining up.

The race was won by 27 year-old Teun Sweere who finished with an impressive time of 21’30”. Jan van Belzen was in 2nd place and his time was 23’21” and Robbie Rens was third in a time of 23’42”. Hoogerland finished in fifth place in 24″11.

Wedstrijdbeelden! Dit is zo zwaar, in je eentje tegen de wind en de grootsheid van de kering. #sturm #nktegenwindfietsen pic.twitter.com/QI8N3rxnKh

— NK Tegenwindfietsen (@NKTegenwind) November 20, 2016