Charlotte Kuhl said that being a part of NXTG Racing, an under-23 team, gave her many opportunities to race and learn before her move to Team DSM in 2022.

NXTG Racing, a 23-and-under Continental team that will be joined by Canyon-Slam Generation in 2022, is unique in the women's peloton.

At 22, Kuhl is one of the oldest riders on the team this season and has had many opportunities to take on leadership roles as the team's sprinter.

"It's been really good for me to actually get those opportunities," Kuhl says.

"I think it's really important to have the opportunity to run sprints and classics." [In 2021, she won a stage at the Baloise Ladies Tour, finished second at the Drentse Acht van Vesterveld, and won the Grand Prix Internationale Disberg, becoming the last rider to beat Elisa Balsamo before winning the World Championships.

Kool not only nurtured his own success, but also enjoyed being part of the development of other riders at NXTG.

"After all, I was one of the older guys, so it was nice to be able to give the younger girls confidence and help them along the way, like getting them involved in my sprint training and stuff," she said.

"I think it's great for young riders to start there. Plus, if something goes wrong, it's not so bad, so you can learn from it. It's hard to make mistakes on a WorldTour team."

Kool is one of two riders from NXTG Racing to make the jump to the Women's WorldTour this year: 20-year-old Belgian rider Shari Bothuit will join Canyon Slam next season; 20-year-old Belgian rider Shari Bothuis will join Canyon Slam next season; and 20-year-old Belgian rider Kool will join NXTG Racing next season, Canyon Slam, where he will join the team next season.

While talented riders enter the World Tour early, some directly from the junior teams, Kool says the path is not for everyone. Some riders are able to go on the World Tour right out of the juniors, but others need time.

Under-23 teams like NXTG Racing are one way to bridge the gap between juniors and the pro peloton, but Kuhl does not necessarily believe that under-23 teams are necessary in women's cycling.

"I think a lot of the continental teams are also sort of development teams. In women's cycling, Valcar and other continental teams want to develop riders to compete in the World Tour."

"Also, I don't think there are enough female riders to have a lot of teams under 23. But if we grow - and I think we will, because women's cycling is growing - I think we can be like the boys with much more ability to start working with younger riders."