'It makes me very happy' – 19-year-old Henry Hobbs scores breakthrough first pro win
Briton claims final stage of ZLM Tour in the Netherlands
Nineteen-year-old Henry Hobbs has achieved his first professional road win, despite not being scheduled to turn professional for another year. The Visma-Lease a Bike cyclist triumphed in the final stage of the ZLM Tour in the Netherlands on Sunday. He outpaced experienced competitors Max Walscheid (Lidl-Trek), Florian Sénéchal (Alpecin-Premier Tech), and Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) to secure a significant victory.
Hobbs attributed his success to his team's assistance, particularly in positioning and managing the wind. He expressed his happiness with the win, stating, "To win my first professional race today makes me very happy."
Hobbs, who hails from the London-Essex border, joined Visma-Lease a Bike's under-23 development team at the beginning of this year. Last week's ZLM Tour marked his first appearance as a member of Visma's elite squad. Despite finishing 17th overall, Hobbs' stage win garnered attention from his team's sports director, Arthur van Dongen, who praised the scouting department for identifying and supporting young talent.
In June, Hobbs claimed a stage win in a fourth-tier, non-professional stage race in Austria. He also secured two gold medals on the track for Team England at the Commonwealth Games – in the team pursuit and scratch race. As a three-time junior world champion, Hobbs aims to continue developing both his track and road skills as he prepares to turn professional in 2028.
His contract with Visma's development team remains active until the end of next season. Hobbs' older brother, Noah, recently joined the WorldTour with EF Education-EasyPost and has already won two pro races.
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