Development Team DSM's Pavel Bittner and Casper van Uden promoted to the WorldTour

After steady progress season-on-season, Team DSM are delighted to announce that Pavel Bittner and Casper van Uden will be promoted to their Men’s program as of August 1^st this year; becoming the 13^th and 14^th riders respectively to make the step up to WorldTour level after coming through the ranks of the Development program since its inception in 2017. Both riders will wear the team's distinctive two-striped jersey until at least the end of the 2024 season.

Pavel Bittner (CZE)

Off the back of a strong junior career where he took back-to-back Czech road race titles alongside several other top results, Bittner joined Team DSM’s Development program in 2021. Finding his feet quickly at U23 level, he claimed an emotional win in his home stage at Course de la Paix while riding for his national team which he followed up with some strong results in the sprints with the Development program at Course Cycliste de Solidarnosc when he was the team’s finisher, and where he was also an integral part of leading out Van Uden to two stage wins. This year has seen Bittner continue his development and further show his versatility; helping the Development program to wins at Tour de Normandie while also impressing when riding alongside the Men’s program over tough and punchy terrain such as his ninth place at a hard-fought, hilly edition of Rund um Köln.

Click here for quotes and reaction from Bittner and coaching staff.

Casper van Uden (NED)

Now into his third season with the Development program, Van Uden has made steps year-on-year with the team; continually growing as an athlete and as a person. Like many, Van Uden’s 2020 season was short due to the pandemic, but he impressed in the races he did and was part of the team’s TTT success at Ronde de l’Isard. Last year saw Van Uden have a “breakthrough” season, taking an impressive two sprint wins at Course Cycliste de Solidarnosc where he ended third on GC. He followed that up later in the season with a superb win after a tough day of racing at Ronde van Achterhoek and a battling second place at Paris-Tous U23 where he “won” the bunch sprint behind future teammate Iversby Hvideberg. Continuing this upward trend, Van Uden has gained a lot of experience riding alongside the Men’s program in races such as the Saudi Tour and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in 2022, which has helped him to take three sprint wins: two at the Tour de Normandie and one at Tour de Bretagne, after some superb work by the team. Furthermore, a brilliantly earned fourth place at a brutally hard edition of Scheldeprijs hints at Van Uden’s more rounded ability and potential for the classics in the future.

Click here for quotes and reaction from Van Uden and coaching staff.