"There was a lot of laughter about that in the team" - Victor Campenaerts talks about his tough first cycling steps in Jumbo-Visma
Cycling
Victor Campenaerts is now one of the better riders in the peloton. Not only the hour record is in his name. In the last Tour de France, the Lotto-Dstny rider was voted the most combative rider. In latest RIDE magazine issue, he talks about tough beginings when the Belgian bridged over from triathlon, bringing novelties such as scales to weigh food.
"I was the first to arrive at a long breakfast table and brought a scale. By talking to dietitians I knew that there was an optimum amount of food you could eat before exercise. If you go over it, you put a burden on your digestion. And if you eat too little, you will simply have too little energy. So I always had a weighing school with me for breakfast. The next rider who came and sat directly opposite me was Robert Gesink."
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"Gesink observed how I was weighing the food. When about ten riders were sitting at the table, he spoke. 'Guys, you should watch it. We have something new here. Here comes someone with a scale for breakfast.' I can tell you that it was tough. If Gesink, the big man of that team, says something about you, that is something different than when a rider from Topsport Vlaanderen says something."
"Gesink made it clear that he was not in favor of sitting at the table with a scale. There was a lot of laughter about that in the team, but I persisted in bringing those scales with me. Nowadays, no one eats breakfast without a scale, including Robert Gesink. My relationship with Robert at that time was not really good. When I see him now we always have a cordial conversation. I should actually ask him if he still thinks back to that moment."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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