The 48th Hel van het Noorden is set to take place this Sunday, and once again, the organising committee seems to have arranged the weather perfectly to make conditions unbearable. After last year’s event was cancelled at the last minute due to high winds, anticipation is high as crews return to Groningen in the north of the Netherlands for the first time since 2023.
The course is expected to face a strong headwind, with temperatures below freezing, and, of course, the first snow of the year is expected to arrive around lunchtime. So it’s all coming together to make six km down a straight, bumpy course feel even worse.
Nereus
Winners of the Tromp, Jaap Worm and Floris Bij de Weg from Nereus will likely show a strong performance this weekend. Whether they are fast is not in question; it will be their ability to deal with the difficult conditions on top of the race distance that matters. So far this season, they’ve been blessed with some quality racing conditions. If they want to consolidate their position as the top pair, this will be their chance.
Triton
The Triton pair of Toon Clabbers and Bart Berbers is definitely one to watch. They’ve had a good season so far, recently winning the November Fours race with Pieter van Veen and Eli Brouwer, a perfect mentorship for a pair looking to win at the national level. Bart finished second at Tromp with a different partner; the gap was eight seconds then, but I would expect that to be reducing very quickly now that he’s partnered with Toon. Unlike many Dutch crews, they weren’t in Basel, so they had had plenty of time training together.
Minerva
Minerva has also entered a combination, Elmer der Nederlanden from Njord and Timo Geluk of Aegir. Combination pairs can always be surprising, and these two athletes have been developing over the last season. I don’t think we can expect them to dominate, but together they should not be underestimated.
Prediction
Although Nereus was successful at Tromp, I think the tide might turn at the Hel. Triton has had the time to get used to each other, and they certainly have the power. Therefore, I think Nereus will be in second place this weekend, with Triton taking the win.
