Agnoletto Belgium-bound for next step in cycling career

The 19-year-old has spent this week training in Adelaide ahead of the start to the Belgian campaign on August 7.

"It will be a series of kermesse races across Belgium in August until early September," Angoletto said.

"I have never raced in Europe, so that's going to be a huge challenge."

Agnoletto will be joined by InForm TMX Make team-mates Tristan Saunders and Elliot Schultz.

They will be based in Kortrijk in west Flanders.

Most recent hit-out for the team was the Tour of the Tropics in Queensland where Agnoletto captured his first National Road Series victory.

"It was an amazing tour and incredible feeling to have won," he said of the two-day and four-stage showdown in northern Queensland.

"I had done a fair amount of track training in the lead-up to the Tour of Tropics, so was unsure how I would go on the road.

"To race as well as I did and as a team has really lifted my confidence."

There have been times throughout Angoletto's racing career where doubts about continuing to race did flare up.

"There was plenty of support to keep on going and do the best I could.

"To now be racing in Belgium is something I am really looking forward to.

"Kermesse racing is like criteriums, but on a bigger scale," Agnoletto said.

Race distances vary between 90km and 140km and are on a lapped circuit between 5km and 10km.

"The size of the field will be a test," Agnoletto said of racing in a field of more than 170.

"It's going to be a great experience and will help a lot in strengthening my bike-handling skills, but also racing at a high pace for between three and four hours.

After Belgium, Agnoletto will be back in Queensland from October 6 to 9 in the Cycle Sunshine Coast leg of the National Road Series.

After his success in the Tour of Tropics, Agnoletto is in the top 10 of the series standings, and third in the Young Rider category.

The talented teenager had plenty of success on the track across the 2021-22 summer.

His dominance in the Christmas-New Year carnivals in Victoria included victory in the Lindsay Harrington Memorial Wheelrace at Bendigo's Tom Flood Sports Centre.

Agnoletto won gold in the elite men's teams pursuit and bronze in the individual pursuit at the track nationals in March and also starred at the Oceania titles to claim silver in the scratch final, bronze in the teams pursuit and madison.

Both track showdowns were at Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane.

In the days leading up to leaving for Belgium, Angoletto was watching many of the cyclists he has raced against or trained with race for glory at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Among them was Bendigo clubmate Alessia McCaig in her Games debut.

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