"We will see a better version of myself this year" - Alpecin-Deceuninck's Quinten Hermans confident ahead of 2025
Cycling
Quinten Hermans is preparing for a big season on the road
after skipping cyclocross for the first time this winter. Speaking at the
Alpecin-Deceuninck media day to Cyclism’actu, the 29-year-old discussed his
goals, race programme, and ambitions for the year ahead.
"Good, I think," he said when asked about his
winter. "This is the first time I don't do cyclocross this winter, so I
had a long preparation for the road season. Of course, we found some axes where
I could improve and gain some percentages. I think we managed to do that and we
will see a better version of myself this year."
Hermans had a breakthrough victory in 2023, winning stage 3
of the Tour of the Basque Country, marking his first WorldTour win. He also
came close to a major triumph in the Ardennes, finishing second at
Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2022. Looking ahead to 2025, he has clear objectives in
mind.
"My first goal (for 2025) is definitely to win another
WorldTour victory, like I did last year (in the Tour of the Basque Country) for
the first time. One more would be great. And my second is to win a Grand Tour.
It probably won't be the Tour de France, but the Giro or La Vuelta would
already be great. After having come close to victory last year it would be
great to achieve that."
Last season, Hermans competed in both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta
a España, and he expects to follow a similar schedule this year. "Neither
of the two Grand Tours is confirmed yet. But it will probably be the Giro to
start, and then we will evaluate some details to see if I can do the Tour of
Spain. But yes, I would like to do as many Grand Tours as possible."
Hermans' season kicks off this weekend at the Figueira
Champions Classic, followed by the Tour of Algarve. "It's always difficult
to know where I am physically right after the altitude training, but I hope
I'll have good legs right away to try to get a good result there.
“Then I'll do the Strade Bianche, the Tour of Catalonia and
the Tour of the Basque Country before the Ardennes. I want to be the best I can
be in this period, I hope to have a good start to the season. Obviously the
Ardennes classics are my biggest goal for this first part, and even for the
season, but I want to be ready and as good as possible from the first
races."
Although his focus is on the road, Hermans remains
interested in gravel racing. "Of course I would like to do the Gravel
World Championship again at the end of the year. But the first three months on
the road are the most important for the team and are already planned, so I
think it is almost impossible to do anything other than road at the moment.
“But maybe after that we can discuss it. I really like
gravel, I think it is going to be something big in the future in cycling, so I
want to participate if the conditions are right."
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as 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. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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