Road European Championships: Jonathan Vervenne wins for Belgium in under-23 men's time trial

Jonathan Vervenne kept the European under-23 men's time trial title in Belgium for the fourth year in a row following three triumphs from Alec Segaert.

The 22-year-old edged out fellow Belgian Matisse Van Kerckhove by 1.6 seconds on the 24km course in Etoile-sur-Rhône, finishing his ride with an average speed of 47.266kph with a time of 30:27.96.

The Belgian pair beat Adam Rafferty (Ireland) into third place. He scored the bronze medal at six seconds down.

Maxime Decomble (France) and Mads Landbo (Denmark) rounded out the top five at 15 and 26 seconds down, respectively.

Vervenne, who will join the pros with Soudal-QuickStep for 2026, finished eighth at the recent under-23 time trial at the Road World Championships in Rwanda behind Sweden's Jakob Söderqvist, who races with the elites this week. He said he didn't expect this result.

"I knew that I was in good shape and that on a good day I could come close to victory, but I can’t say I was expecting to become European Champion," he said after his win.

"As soon as I rolled down the ramp, I rode according to my pre-race pacing plan, but then, in the second part of the race, I increased the speed, as I felt better and better. Maybe that was what made the difference in the end on this course which I liked a lot.

"It feels amazing to bring to a conclusion my time in the U23 with such a big success. It’s something that makes me very proud and motivates me for next year, when I can’t wait to race in the World Tour”, said Jonathan, who in 2026 will turn pro with Soudal-QuickStep."

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