On Wednesday, July 11th, Kenny Nijssen reached the highest wattage per kilogram on a Tacx Neo smart trainer device. Nijssen reached 6.4 Watt/kg and was rewarded with a genuine internship at Team KATUSHA ALPECIN. Starting August 1st, Nijssen will be a trainee/stagiair in the Swiss WorldTour team until December 31st 2018.
– This is really fantastic. I knew I could come close but to win, that is something else. Since my qualification for the Wattmeister finale, I was focused on this day. I saw my wattages were good. I skipped the Marmotte last week, just to give my body some rest for today. Already for many years I have tried to get a chance on a higher level, and now I can prove what I can do in a WorldTour team. I hope to show what I am capable of, – said Kenny Nijssen.
Kenny Nijssen (UWTC De Volharding) is 27 years old. With his 52,5 kg, Kenny Nijssen is a climber. He is especially known in the granfondo world. In 2016 he was the winner of La Marmotte (over Glandon, Télégraphe, Galibier and l’Alpe d’Huez), a granfondo earlier won by pro riders like Laurens Ten Dam and Sander Armée.
In Amsterdam ten riders fought for the trainee contract at KATUSHA ALPECIN. Nijssen ended his challenge with a score of 6.29 Watt per kg. Second place was for Thijs de Lange with 6.28 Watt/kg. Third was Jeen de Jong (6.05). 2017 Wattmeister Piotr Havik finished fourth.
Wattmeister Challenge was an initiative from bicycle brand Canyon, KATUSHA ALPECIN and Topcompetitie. The Topcompetitie is a cycling league with eight Dutch races for men at semi-professional level. The Wattmeister was allowed to wear the red KATUSHA/Canyon jersey in the races. That jersey could only be attacked by the Topcompetitie riders on a smart trainer device (Tacx Neo) under the auspices of specialized exercise physiologist. The winner of Young Rider competition is guaranteed a trainee contract at the WorldTour Team LottoNL-Jumbo.
– We were immediately charmed by this initiative. It is original but also ground-breaking. The participants were highly motivated to become a trainee/stagiair in Team KATUSHA ALPECIN and, as the Wattmeister is a rider of one of the 17 Topcompetion teams, we know that he will be a rider with experience. Last year we only had positive experiences with Piotr Havik. We are eager to add another Dutch talent to our selection. Now it’s up to Kenny to prove what he can at the highest level, said José Azevedo, General Manager of Team KATUSHA ALPECIN.
KATUSHA MEDIA SERVICE
Philippe Maertens
maertens@teamkatushaalpecin.com
+32 492 22 78 96
Falk Nier
nier@teamkatushaalpecin.com
+32 492 22 78 98