"Pogacar is not that far away either" - Lennert van Eetvelt not intimated by cycling's best into 2025
Cycling
Lennert van Eetvelt is just one of Lotto's many homegrown talents and although he is a different type of rider, he can aim as high as Arnaud De Lie in 2025. After winning two World Tour stage-races in 2025, battled with some of the world's very best climbers and proven his versatility, the Belgian is eyeing everyone including Tadej Pogacar at the Tour of Flanders and Tour de France.
“I am not that far off. At Il Lombardia, for example, I did not have a good feeling at all, but then the race opened up and suddenly I was among big names like Remco Evenepoel," van Eetvelt shared in an interview with Wielerflits. "I hope to stay with those guys a bit more in the really big races this season and to be able to perform well. In races like the Tour de France I will get a better idea of where I stand".
Van Eetvelt will have a packed spring with stage-races, gravel, cobblestones and the Ardennes as well all present. Then he will make his Tour de France debut. "On the one hand it is a different world, but Pogacar is not that far away either. I will probably never reach his level, on the other hand it does give an idea of where the limits are.”
It is a very busy schedule for a 23-year old, specially one who isn't part of the World Tour, but shows well the level of confidence and ambition that he enters the season. The Tour of Flanders will be a completely new experience for him and he will also use it as an opportunity to learn, get experience and become a better stage-racer.
“When I start, I always want to perform. I wanted to try something different. GC riders are also good at those races, as has been proven in recent years. And if you want to become a good GC rider, you have to be good at everything. They also put those kinds of stages in the Tour, and they will do that more and more in the future, so it was important to come and ride here.”
“Partly. I am increasingly evolving into a stage rider, but I will continue to have different goals. I am aiming for the Ardennes classics, and then the focus will go to the Tour and the Vuelta. I hope that I will manage to switch types of riders throughout the year, so that I have a strong punch in the classics and am at my best in the Grand Tours uphill".
At the Tour de France, he hopes to have freedom and chase stage wins, something which he could well do unless the GC riders take over all mountain days as was the case last year. "In the Tour I am not going for the general classification. I want to try to win a stage there, I will certainly not take any risks for the classification or specifically try to hook on. We will see how it goes there.”
Then at La Vuelta he wants to test himself as a Grand Tour contender. “Normally yes. I hope to achieve my goal from last year and fight my way into the top 10 of the general classification. I especially want a race without bad luck. If more is possible than that top 10, please do. But first and foremost I just hope to be able to ride a good classification".
"Last year I was at that level at the start of the Vuelta, but I couldn't keep it up. It will be important to improve my time trial, yes. I was always a good time trialist when I was younger. By focusing on climbing, we have neglected that a bit in recent years. I hope to pick up the thread again now and get more hours on that bike".
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- Pogi is a Goat. He has power numbers that are once in a century. Jonas is a once in a generation, He has power numbers 1 level lower than Pogi. Even if both are equal which they were before 2024, Pogi would have won on sprint bonuses. For Jonas to win he has to crack Pogi, which is impossible. Therefore Giro is a good option considering the TT in TDF. He cannot win but if something happens to Pogi , he should be still in a position to win the TDF, Giro or no Giro, because the others are a level below him.abstractengineer11-11-2026
- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
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