Frank van den Broek ready for Tour de France 2025: “I know what to expect now”

Frank van den Broek, who rides for Team Picnic PostNL, is preparing for the upcoming Tour de France with confidence, having spent time at altitude and refining his form ahead of the July 5th start. The Dutch rider played a key support role for Romain Bardet during last year’s opening stage win at the 2024 Tour.

In a recent interview with In de Leiderstrui, Van den Broek shared insights into his training regimen. He spent time at altitude on Tenerife, tackling the climbs of Mount Teide.

“We went to the Teide. The weather was good, but in the last week of the high-altitude training I got a bit worse. That's why I trained a bit less than expected. It wasn't that I was really sick, but just a bit worse. I don't know what was the reason."

He added, “There doesn't necessarily have to be a reason for that. In the Tour of Switzerland I could continue working towards my preparation for the Tour. We went up high with Oscar Onley and Warren Barguil, the climbers. That's how it went last year and that's always very pleasant. We have a house there, on the Teide.”

Van den Broek also explained why he’s not taking part in the Dutch National Championships this year. “When I heard that it would be in Berg en Dal, I thought it would be really fun to do. But unfortunately that was not possible because of the NATO summit. Now we have a short, flat course, so that does not really suit me.

“I would have liked to ride the National Time Trial Championship, but that is now on Tuesday and that was just a bit too short for the Tour of Switzerland. And I have not had my time trial bike at home much, so I have not trained that much on it either.”

Looking ahead to the Tour, Van den Broek feels better equipped this time around.

“I know what to expect now. There are a few stages that suit me, but it is mainly a very nice tour to ride. I trained more on the shorter efforts, because I also have a different trainer than last year.”