"I find the taboo surrounding it very annoying" - Jasper De Buyst wants to break heart arrhythmia stigma in racing return
Cycling
Jasper De Buyst has seen the opening part of his season swept from under him after suffering a heart rhythm disorder in March. The 32-year-old had just raced the UAE Tour and was primed for the spring classics before he started to feel symptoms of the disorder, and it wouldn't be the first time for the 2026 season.
He underwent an ablation, where cells causing the disorder are burned away, on March 9th and was recovering well before taking part in La Fleche Wallone in April, but he once again felt symptoms in the following days and had to take another period off the bike.
The lead-out man was surprised by how his heart reacted on a descent after a relatively short time cycling and once again had to be assessed, but this time not requiring an ablation. After a period of rest, he hopes to return to racing at the June 14th Muur Classic, but described his ordeal.
“After twenty minutes of cycling, I experienced another disorder; strangely enough, not during a climb where my heart rate was 140, but on the descent,” De Buyst said in an interview with HLN.
With just eight race days so far in 2026, the Belgian described the process of his heart arrhythmia surgery: "In March, they had burned four circles around the veins in my heart wall. That applied scar tissue needed more time to adhere, and burning always causes local inflammation and fluid accumulation, which meant it took longer before my heart could be stressed again.”
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De Buyst questions stigma
However, De Buyst is glad to publicly speak about his struggles and questioned the stigma behind heart rhythm disorders in cycling. He labelled the cycling world 'conservative' and said he feared he would be thought of as a 'patient' even after his recovery. He hopes to help riders who go through a similar ordeal in the future.
“I am glad that I can now make it public, and I find the taboo surrounding it very annoying. (…) At first I thought: 'I’ll keep this to myself, because racing is a conservative world and the label of heart patient scares people off'. Even when I told friends that I had undergone heart surgery, they widened their eyes.”
"The riders who were able to race again two weeks after an ablation don't have to report it. They just say they were sick for a while, and no one knows the real reason. In my case, three months was too long to hide behind 'illness,' but why would I do that? By talking openly about it, I hope to help others. There are riders who will go through the same thing anyway."
Return to racing
Now as racing comes closer to his horizon, he knows the latter part of the season is crucial. It's a contract year for the 32-year-old, and he's determined to remind possible suitors that he's often a Grand Tour leadout stalwart and could be a valuable member of 2027 teams.
De Buyst said: “I am not pessimistic, but the reality is that there is an asterisk next to my name. I hope a team is willing to give me another chance, because I believe I am still capable of being one of the best lead-outs in the world.”
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He added: “Who rode at the front of the peloton five hundred meters from the finish line during the first mass sprint in the Tour last year? The same goes for the Vuelta. Name me five riders who can do that consistently year after year… In July, August, September, and October, I will prove that I still have my place in the peloton.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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