Team SD Worx has contracted the 19-year-old super talent Kata Blanka Vas. The Hungarian will defend the colours of Team SD Worx from 1 June 2021 for a period of two years. Blanka Vas belongs to the world top in cyclocross but has already proven to be one of the greatest talents in both road racing and on the mountain bike.
Blanka Vas finished respectively second and third in the last two U23 World Championships CX. In the World Cup classification of last winter, the young rider finished fifth among the elite women. She became second at the U23 World Championships MTB in 2020, while she finished sixth at the U23 European Road Championships.
“We want to be visible with the team all year round,” says sports manager Danny Stam of Team SD Worx. “With Kata Blanka Vas we can profile ourselves during the winter in the cyclocross. In addition, she has already achieved good results on the road, when we look at her age. That makes her a good addition for the team. Finally, she is also seen as one of the greatest talents on the mountain bike. Therefore, she can qualify herself for the Olympic Games in Tokyo this year. This discipline is important for our material sponsor Specialized. As a result, we will support her to develop in these three disciplines.”
Kata Blanka Vas was surprised when Team SD Worx contacted her. “I had a good feeling about my first meeting with Danny Stam,” says the Hungarian. “I think that your feeling is an important advisor when you make a choice for a new team. The team gives me the freedom to combine the three disciplines. I don’t know yet whether cyclocross, mountain bike or the road suits me best. I hope to discover that in the coming years. In that view, Mathieu van der Poel is a good example for me. He shows that up to a certain age you can combine these three disciplines and thus develop yourself further and grow into the world top of cycling. It feels like an honour to me that champions like Anna van der Breggen and Chantal Blaak, and many others, will soon be my teammates.”
Blanka Vas hopes to qualify herself for the Olympic Games in Tokyo next summer. “In March I was beaten back by Covid-19, but now I feel myself getting stronger every week. In May I have to ride a qualification race in Hungary, after which the Hungarian association will make a choice who will be selected for Tokyo. I am hopeful for this. Then I will focus on cyclocross. I hope to compete with the elite women for the podium places in the World Cups next winter. ”
For the past three seasons, Blanka Vas was part of the Belgian cycling team Doltcini – Van Eyck Sports-Proximus. “Of course, it is a pity that we see such a great talent leave our team”, says Jan Morre on behalf of Doltcini – Van Eyck Sports-Proximus. “Blanka was discovered by Marc Bracke and has grown from our Development Team into the Continental Team. However, the team’s philosophy is to give young riders a chance to develop and then make the switch to one of the top teams. We are therefore proud that Team SD Worx has signed up for Kata Blanka Vas. She is an all-round star and one of the greatest talents in women’s cycling. The parallels with Mathieu van der Poel are big.”