Meet the EF Education-EasyPost rider who swapped Zwift for World Tour fairy tale: "Everything is beautiful and goes according to plan”

Jardi Christiaan van der Lee’s journey to the WorldTour is one of the most remarkable stories in modern cycling. The 23-year-old Dutchman, now riding for EF Education-EasyPost, didn't take the conventional route through junior and U23 development teams.

Instead, he caught the team's attention through his online performances on Zwift, proving that virtual racing can be a genuine pathway to the professional ranks in the modern era.

Transitioning from indoor training to competing at the highest level is no easy feat, yet van der Lee has handled the shift with impressive maturity. In 2023, he demonstrated his talent by winning Omloop van Simpelveld, showing his ability to compete and win in real world racing conditions.

Now, in 2025, he is making strides in the professional peloton, proving that his raw talent, endurance, and tactical understanding translate beyond the digital world.

He recently caught up with In de Leiderstrui, reflecting on his early season races, his experiences riding against the best in the world, and what he hopes to achieve in the coming years.

Van der Lee raced at the UAE Tour, where he played a supporting role for Georg Steinhauser. The race was progressing well until the final stage, where echelons disrupted their strategy.

"On the last day, there were echelons and he was just behind them," said van der Lee. "At first, it was stuck at a minute, but then it quickly increased. The men from UAE started to turn and eventually they had a lead of three minutes on the climb."

For van der Lee, the most striking part of the UAE Tour was racing in the same peloton as Tadej Pogacar for the first time. Competing against the reigning world champion provided a new perspective on how races unfold at the highest level.

"You notice that other teams adjust their race to someone like that, because you know: he determines the course of the race. That is a completely different way of riding. It was not only the first time that I rode against him, but also the first time that I raced in this way. That took some getting used to."

Many riders would feel overawed racing alongside someone like Pogacar, but van der Lee took a pragmatic approach.

"He makes the race. Normally you have a plan: we're going to do this and that. But with riders like Pogacar, that plan can suddenly change. In itself, it was a nice experience."

Despite the big-name competition, he wasn’t intimidated.

"At a certain point, it's like that: they're just your competitors. You shouldn't think about it too much, but of course it's still cool to race against riders like that."

Coming from an amateur background, van der Lee appreciates how race dynamics change at the pro level, where tactical battles often replace the all-out attacking style of lower-level racing.

"I have to say that I do see the charm in it. I come from the amateur level and there it is always a race from start to finish. That is simply not the case with the pros, so when these kinds of men take the initiative and make the race hard, I think that is cool. For the cycling enthusiast, it is spectacular to see."

His 2024 season also included an appearance at Paris-Roubaix, where he witnessed Mathieu van der Poel’s dominant victory, "That was great to experience."

His performance in races like Paris-Roubaix also helped EF Education-EasyPost determine where his strengths lie.

"I notice that after a few days, I am still just as fresh as on the first day, and that makes me more suitable for multi-day races instead of one-day ones."

However, adjusting to life in the professional peloton wasn’t without its challenges. The step up in intensity, frequent travel, and training demands took time to adapt to, and van der Lee acknowledges there were moments when the grind of racing caught up with him.

"In races at a slightly lower level, I could perform my task as a rider better and make more of myself," he admitted. "All in all, it was a long year, with many races and both ups and downs. Sometimes I came back from a race or training camp and thought: I should have done this differently. You learn from that, and next time you make progress."

The biggest challenge came just before the Tour of the Alps, when the relentless nature of the sport took a toll.

"The toughest moment of the season was just before the Tour of the Alps, after a few tough weeks. Then I thought: gosh, this is really a lot. I had to take a step back."

Despite the intensity, he remains grounded and grateful, "If you can make your dream your job, you should not complain but carry on. I am doing something that I love, and mentally it has never been too much for me."

One of the biggest learning experiences came from his first altitude training camp. Many riders struggle with the adjustment to high-altitude training, and van der Lee quickly discovered its unique challenges.

"The altitude training camp was a completely new experience for me. You have to train calmly there and not push yourself. The first two weeks felt good, and we really built it up slowly. In the third week, we started with intervals, and then I quickly reached my limit. But that is exactly how you get to know your body better: what you can handle, where your limits are, and where there is still room for improvement."

Endurance has been a focus for him, and the improvements have been clear.

"In terms of endurance, we are well on schedule, I see a lot of progress there. But in terms of peak power, I would have liked to be a bit further along. Still, I am satisfied with what I have achieved."

The next step in his development will be focusing on peak power, an area where he hopes to see substantial gains in 2025.

"Because we focused mainly on endurance this year, for example, to still be able to deliver high values at the end of the race, that was somewhat at the expense of my peak power."

This will now be a key part of his training, "From a sprint to a long climb. If that works, I might be able to compete for a stage win or provide an important lead-out uphill."

Despite his progress, van der Lee acknowledges that his role in the team is primarily supporting others rather than chasing individual results.

"It is difficult for my type of rider to set a specific result as a goal because I mainly ride in a supporting role. The main focus is to continue to make progress in the coming years, until you are at a level where the growth flattens out. Then you can see how you can improve your results through tactical choices and external factors."

His love for the sport remains undiminished, and he feels fortunate to be pursuing his dream.

"Professional cycling is exactly how I imagined it. I focused on it completely in my last year before my professional contract, and I haven't regretted it for a moment. You sacrifice things, but you also get a lot in return. Ultimately, it's about priorities and how much you want to go for something. Top-level sport requires complete focus, and you have to live by that. There are always plan Bs, but we're postponing those for now."

For now, he is fully committed to seeing how far he can go, "It's almost boring for you," he laughed. "Everything is beautiful and goes according to plan, a kind of fairy tale story. But it really is one hundred percent true: I do this with great pleasure and can't imagine doing anything else."

His biggest goal for 2025 is to ride in a Grand Tour, a challenge that will test his stamina and mental toughness.

"I hope to be able to ride a Grand Tour this year, just to see how my body reacts to it. That is something I really want to experience."

Given his ability to stay strong in multi-day races, it could be the perfect opportunity to prove himself, "It is an interesting challenge to discover how my body holds up. It is a goal to ride a Grand Tour this year and also to finish it."