Former Team Sky rider and Giro d'Italia stage winner named Sven Vanthourenhout's replacement as Belgian national coach

After the conclusion of the 2024 World Championships Zurich, long time Belgian national coach Sven Vanthourenhout departed his role. Now, a couple of months later, a successor has finally been announced. 

That comes in the form of former Team Sky rider and Giro d'Italia stage winner, Serge Pauwels, who retired from the professional peloton at the end of the 2020 season. “I am extremely honored to take on this role, especially now that we have one of the strongest generations of Belgians ever,” says Pauwels to Belgian Cycling. “I want to create an ideal environment for both the riders and the staff so that we can excel as a team. I am also looking forward to having the juniors I have worked with in the past seasons back in the team in the higher categories in the coming years so that I can continue their journey with them.”

“We want to keep the medal table of Belgian Cycling at the same level in the coming years,” adds Belgian Cycling chairman Tom Van Damme. “We are convinced that we can sustain that with this new structure. There will certainly be no savings on top-level sport within our operation.”