Ever wondered how expensive it is to be a pro? Frank van den Broek reveals all: "I took out the maximum loan I could, and it paid for my time trial bike"
Cycling
Frank van den Broek is preparing for the 2025 season, reflecting on his journey to the top after a breakthrough year in 2024. The 24-year-old, who rides for UCI WorldTeam Team Picnic PostNL, claimed victory at the Tour of Turkey last season and made his Grand Tour debut at the Tour de France, where he finished second to team leader Romain Bardet on the opening stage, narrowly holding off the chasing peloton by five seconds.
As he looks ahead to his second professional season, van den Broek sat down with Rouleur to discuss his path to the professional ranks, and, surprisingly, the conversation began with loans.
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"The maximum loan I could get each month was €800, and if you hadn’t loaned anything for four months, you could go back and get it in one go," he explained. "At one point, I thought: fuck, I really need a TT bike! So I took out the maximum loan I could, and it paid for my time trial bike."
For the recently-turned 24-year-old, the rapid rise to the WorldTour still feels surreal.
"It’s crazy how far I’ve come," he admitted. "I took some time recently to clean up my room at my parents’ house – it was a big mess. There were leader’s jerseys from the Tour, jerseys from Turkey, medals, and other stuff for finishing races. A lot of stuff. A lot’s happened."
Van den Broek’s journey into professional cycling wasn’t a traditional one. Raised in Voorhout, a town famous for its tulip fields, he spent time working at a flower auction after high school.
"After high school, I had a job at a flower auction," he recalled. "I’d work there in the early morning and then go out for training in the afternoon."
So, does that mean he became an expert in floristry? Not quite.
"Oh no, you don’t need to know much about flowers," he laughed. "It’s based on numbers. You’re told by the computer where each crate is, and with the car, you have to move them."
While his route to the WorldTour may have been unconventional, he believes it gave him an advantage.
"I think it was an advantage," he said. "I was free to do whatever I wanted, figure myself out, and not be a machine like maybe some of the kids coming through the development teams. I coached myself and loved that – it gave me freedom and flexibility. And I think my training history, load, and racing throughout the year is what helped me adapt to being a pro quickly."
As for his ambitions in 2025, van den Broek isn’t targeting general classification battles but is eager to play a key role in the team and chase victories.
"I don’t see myself riding for GC – I see myself more as a domestique for Oscar [Onley] and Max [Poole]. A major ambition of mine is winning a race this year. You look at the stats, and not so many riders won a race last year. My ceiling is winning Grand Tour stages and in smaller WorldTour stage races. I won races last year like Turkey – OK, the start field was not the best, but races like Luxembourg, these types of stage races, that’s where I can do well."
I love this sort of article. It shows the reality of what some young riders to go through when they aspire to be a professional. For some it is hard work but worth it. This young guy sounds like he has his head screwed on right. I wish him well.
Correct but I’d say it’s hard work for all of them and only worth it for a select few. And in the public eye, none of the others exist, neither do the coaches, staff, clubs, volunteers, etc who pour endless hours of often unpaid work into youngsters only to be mostly forgotten as the level evolves.
Crap title, Question isn’t answered. No relation to situation for pros and example suggests everyone needs a TT bike. Why us it no-one can make rider interviews exciting or insightful, are they so boring? At least try to make them inspiring, this one is more likely to make poorer kids lose hope altogether and focus on football, way cheaper than running even.
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