The Dutch national championships could be taken abroad in the hopes of attracting superstars like Tom Dumoulin and Steven Kruijswijk.
Jumbo-Visma team manager Richard Plugge has approached the Royal Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU) in the hopes of taking the race elsewhere to offer a route suited to the climbers.
The Netherlands is famed for its flat geography, with 25 per cent of the country either at or below sea level, which means race often swings in favour of the sprinters.
>>> Watch: Amsterdam tunnel turned into cycling highway during transport strike
Plugge, boss of Dutch WorldTour team Jumbo-Visma, told cycling news site Wielerflits: “An occasional sprint nationals is fine, but not year after year.
“That’s why I’m in favour of the championships on a selective course and as far as I’m concerned it can be held abroad.
“Riders like Steven Kruijswijk now have no chance of a Dutch championship.”
The Dutch governing body for cycling is seriously considering the proposal.
General director of the KNWU Thorwald Veneberg told newspaper AD: “We already talked to the teams last year about how we can try to make the Dutch championship attractive for riders and teams.
“A nationals in the mountains in Austria or Germany, where you can climb a lot is one of the ideas.
“Race organiser Golazo thought it was a wild and interesting idea. We too find it interesting, but for now and in the coming years we will have our hands full for the Dutch championships.”
>>> Nairo Quintana: I’m the Movistar leader for the Tour de France
Money is one of the biggest barriers to moving the Dutch nationals abroad, according to Veneberg, as home companies are less likely to invest in a championship held outside of the country.
Cross-discipline star Mathieu van der Poel won the 2018 nationals, beating Danny van Poppel and Ramon Sinkeldam in a bunch sprint from a reduced peloton.
The 2019 event will be held in Ede in the centre of the county.
Jumbo-Visma rider Kruijswijk and Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin are both skipping the race because of the unchallenging parcours.
Star sprinter Dylan Groenewegen will also miss the nationals because it does not fit in with his Tour de France preparation.
-
-
Annemiek van Vleuten shrugs off any lasting jet lag to solo to Clásica San Sebastián victory
Three days ago the Dutchwoman was winning gold in Tokyo and now takes the Basque one-day race
By Owen Rogers •
-
Patrick Lefevere lashes out at Sam Bennett once more, boss criticised for domestic abuse comments
With the Irish sprinter's return to Bora-Hansgrohe expected to be announced soon, Lefevere is on the warpath once again
By Jonny Long •
-
'It was a difficult road to get here': Tom Dumoulin marks return to cycling with Olympics silver
'He took a deep dive and chose Tokyo as a trigger to push that career forward'
By Jonny Long •
-
'I'm comfortable in my own skin again': Tom Dumoulin takes 'beautiful' victory in Dutch national time trial
The former time trial world champion won by over 20 seconds on the next man Sebastien Langeveld
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Tom Dumoulin thinks he's 'quite close' to where he needs to be after comeback at Tour de Suisse
The 2017 Giro d'Italia winner looked strong in the opening Tour de Suisse time trial
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
'Maybe I'll chase the GC at Grand Tours again,' says Tom Dumoulin as he makes comeback at Tour de Suisse
Tom Dumoulin makes his return to racing at the 2021 Tour de Suisse
By Jonny Long •
-
Tom Dumoulin: 'In recent years I have become a little lost'
The former world time trial champion says the Olympics are "project in which I can lose myself completely"
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Tom Dumoulin will return to racing next month after taking a break from cycling career
It was unclear if Dumoulin would ever return to competition, but Jumbo-Visma have confirmed their Dutch Grand Tour is back
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Marcel Kittel: I hope Tom Dumoulin finds the answers he needs
The German sprinter similarly took a break from cycling in May 2019, retiring a few months later
By Jonny Long •
-
'For too long I've felt a lot of pressure to perform': Tom Dumoulin on his decision to step back from cycling
Team-mate Wout van Aert has also said the decision is less surprising to him than has been to the outside world
By Jonny Long •
