Lidl-Trek DS Steven de Jongh confirms that everything comes down to budget: "If you have more resources to spend, you can pay more attention to details"

After 14 years as a professional cyclist, Steven de Jongh hung up his race wheels and embarked on the next chapter of his life as a team director, currently for Lidl-Trek. Now he’s been at the helm of teams for nearly as long as he raced, and he’s collected quite a bit of wisdom.

This week, the Dutch DS joins Bobby & Jens podcast to share some of his vast knowledge with us. One of his secrets to success? Staying fit. "After taking care so many years of my body as a professional, I think it’s a waste to just throw that away," he says.

It has a very direct professional benefit as well. He still rides with his riders at winter training camps to connect with them on a different level. "You have a completely different conversation on the bike than face to face… the conversation is so much easier — especially with the new guys coming into the team, it’s much easier to know them."

"We are looking where we can do better, or spend more to be better," he says about the means of fighting such strong teams as Jumbo-Visma. "We all come to the same conclusion that if you have more resources to spend, you can pay more attention to details; you can put more people on the nutrition side; you can put more coaches into coaching the riders."