Freshly crowned world champion Delano Heeren receives X-Night RS in ‘rainbow design’
This Wednesday afternoon, we welcomed some “distinguished guests” at the Experience Center of Belgian Cycling Factory. Freshly crowned Junior Cyclo-cross World Champion Delano Heeren (16) was honoured following his impressive “golden” race on Sunday morning. Ridley also presented the Dutch rider from Acrog-Tormans with a brand-new X-Night RS in ‘rainbow design’. “I think it’s a really beautiful bike,” said the surprised world champion with a big smile.
With the world titles of Heeren and Leonie Bentveld, it was a magnificent Sunday for Ridley. “We are always very proud to see the R at the front of the race in the heat of competition,” emphasised CTO Pieter Potters. “Ultimately, the bike is the tool the riders have to work with. It has to perform at the right level. At Ridley, we put a lot of effort into guaranteeing that quality, from bikes for WorldTour riders to those for amateurs, enthusiasts and young riders.”
This fits perfectly within the collaboration with Acrog-Tormans, as well as Ridley’s partnerships with Cycling Vlaanderen and Belgian Cycling. “We want to give young riders the opportunity to grow and progress through the ranks of the cycling pyramid. Our founder and CEO Jochim Aerts himself took his first steps in cycling in that same way. From a product development perspective, we recently launched the YUNGSTR, a bike that allows young riders to experience three disciplines right away.”
With the world titles of Heeren and Leonie Bentveld, it was a magnificent Sunday for Ridley. “We are always very proud to see the R at the front of the race in the heat of competition,” emphasised CTO Pieter Potters. “Ultimately, the bike is the tool the riders have to work with. It has to perform at the right level. At Ridley, we put a lot of effort into guaranteeing that quality, from bikes for WorldTour riders to those for amateurs, enthusiasts and young riders.”
This fits perfectly within the collaboration with Acrog-Tormans, as well as Ridley’s partnerships with Cycling Vlaanderen and Belgian Cycling. “We want to give young riders the opportunity to grow and progress through the ranks of the cycling pyramid. Our founder and CEO Jochim Aerts himself took his first steps in cycling in that same way. From a product development perspective, we recently launched the YUNGSTR, a bike that allows young riders to experience three disciplines right away.”
X-Night RS
A crown jewel for championsThe X-Night RS is the fifth generation of our cyclocross bike on which dozens of titles have already been won. We developed this X-Night RS tailored to the cyclocross rider, with a special cyclocross geometry and numerous aerodynamic improvements. The Ridley Racing Team will use this crown jewel from autumn 2024.
Read morePerfect test ground
“No test ground is better than racing,” Potters continues. “With every bike we launch, we want to make it better than the previous one. That’s why it’s important to test the bike at the highest level. Our riders receive prototype bikes and, based on their feedback, we can implement improvements. This ensures that every consumer can ride WorldTour-worthy bikes. And because most of the work is done in our own factory in Beringen, it’s even possible to offer fully customised bikes via the configurator.”
Logistics Planner Wesley Widar brought along such a customised bike, more specifically an X-Night RS in rainbow colours. “I received a message from the team on Sunday afternoon. Of course, I had followed the race myself and knew that Delano had become world champion. We started working on the bike as quickly as possible. Initially, we only planned to deliver a frameset, but we really went the extra mile to get everything ready. Twenty minutes before this press moment, the bike was fully assembled — just in time!”
Logistics Planner Wesley Widar brought along such a customised bike, more specifically an X-Night RS in rainbow colours. “I received a message from the team on Sunday afternoon. Of course, I had followed the race myself and knew that Delano had become world champion. We started working on the bike as quickly as possible. Initially, we only planned to deliver a frameset, but we really went the extra mile to get everything ready. Twenty minutes before this press moment, the bike was fully assembled — just in time!”
The world champion’s eyes sparkled when he saw this masterpiece. “I already rode on Ridley bikes when I was very young, and now again. I can only say ‘wow’, especially knowing how little time the people here had.” Normally, the Dutch rider would leave for a training camp this weekend, but due to his world title he will still compete in the cyclo-cross races of Middelkerke and Lille.
The collaboration between Acrog-Tormans Balen BC and Ridley has been ongoing for a long time. The team aims to provide every rider with a tailor-made programme and is fully committed to the development of local talent — a mission that Ridley fully supports. “We are always very happy with a world champion,” said chairman Jef Robert. “That was previously the case with Remco Evenepoel and Zoë Backstedt.”
In addition to the bike, Heeren also received a special world champion’s jersey from BioRacer, leisurewear from The Vandal and a personalised helmet from ABUS. Next cyclo-cross winter, we will once again be able to admire these rainbow colours and the unique X-Night RS in the field.
The collaboration between Acrog-Tormans Balen BC and Ridley has been ongoing for a long time. The team aims to provide every rider with a tailor-made programme and is fully committed to the development of local talent — a mission that Ridley fully supports. “We are always very happy with a world champion,” said chairman Jef Robert. “That was previously the case with Remco Evenepoel and Zoë Backstedt.”
In addition to the bike, Heeren also received a special world champion’s jersey from BioRacer, leisurewear from The Vandal and a personalised helmet from ABUS. Next cyclo-cross winter, we will once again be able to admire these rainbow colours and the unique X-Night RS in the field.
