"I stayed off the bike for four weeks this winter" - Lennert van Eetvelt rested, refreshed and ready to make big impact in 2025

It's been an uncertain winter for Lotto Dstny. Sponsorship concerns have combined with star riders such as Maxim van Gils and Victor Campenaerts departing to mean the future doesn't look obviously rosy. One of those bright lights remaining at the team though, is Lennert van Eetvelt and the Belgian talent is determined to make 2025 even better than his impressive 2024.

Although Van Eetvelt was one of the star performers for Lotto Dstny in 2024, his season wasn't one completely without issues as injuries plagued him at various times. "After Strade Bianche my knee injury started to play up and those first weeks were terrible. It took a lot of effort to get back to my level," he recalls to Wieler Revue. "At that time I had only been a pro for a year. But luckily I managed to get back to the level of March and February from San Sebastian onwards. That also helped me cope better with my crashes in the Vuelta. I was confident that I would get back in shape. If not this year, then next year."

Immediately after finishing his 2024 campaign, preparing for 2025 was not the first thing on the mind of Van Eetvelt. Instead, he focused on rest and recovery from a long season. “Last year I had a serious tonsillectomy in the winter and because of that I never got a good rest. The year before I got glandular fever so that’s why I stayed off the bike for four weeks this winter," he explains. "I think that could turn out really well for me. This year I also had a lot of injuries so a good reset was needed.”

The highlight of the season just been for the 23-year-old, undoubtedly came at the UAE Tour in February, where he staved off competition from the likes of Ben O'Connor and Pello Bilbao to take overall victory in the Middle East.

“Last year was my first year as a professional cyclist and I was still trying to figure out how to be a pro. You have to find the right rhythm. Towards the end of that first year I had a good feeling and in the winter I noticed that I had made great strides. I certainly went to the UAE Tour with ambition but I didn’t expect to win straight away," he admits. "It was even stranger to get injured after such a great success. It has been a year with many ups and downs.”