Team ZiuZ had a great 2017/2018 season. The young group managed to score two victories and a third place in the regular marathons, as well as secure third place in the overall team classification. On natural ice, they also made first and second place in Luleå and Noordlaren respectively. A fine achievement, and even more so as the girls barely knew each other at the start of last season. They are now a close-knit team and the ladies would do anything for the highest possible achievement as a team.
Led by coach Valentina Berga-Belloni, this coming season Kelly Schouten, Elsemieke van Maaren, Chantal Hendriks and Bianca Bakker will again be defending the colours of Team ZiuZ. We have Sharon Hendriks, Bianca Roosenboom and Nynke Pelikaan skating on the Uplus team, just like last year. Furthermore, 28-year-old Margo van de Merwe has returned to the team 3 years after joining another team. Margo will now again be skating in the colours of Team Uplus. As the core of the team will remain the same, the goal for the 2018/2019 season will be to build further on the foundation that was laid this past year. That means more victories, more medals and rattling the gates of the establishment.
This season, team ZiuZ will also be represented in the men’s promised honour division for the first time. The men’s team will be Gerwin Smit, Ronald Haasje and Mark Prinsen.There will be 3 advancement races this season. In these races, the first 20 skaters in the ranking of the promised honour division will be allowed to start in the Men’s Top Division. The men on team ZiuZ have the goal to take part in as many of these advancement races as possible, to win stage victories and to play a meaningful role in the team classification. What’s more, these gentlemen are very good on natural ice, which will make for quite the spectacle at locations like the Weissensee!
The women’s and men’s team presentations will be at the beginning of September at a date, location, and time yet to be determined. During the event, the press will have the opportunity to take pictures and hold interviews. More information on this will follow in July.