Breakaway King switches from road to gravel: "It's a challenge I'm really looking forward to"

Thomas de Gendt is a cyclist who has victories in all three Grand Tours and in several of the most prestigious one-week stage races on the world stage. In his 19 years as a professional between 2006 and 2024, he has 17 victories in his career: 2 at the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Paris-Nice, 5 at the Volta a Catalunya, 1 from Vuelta a España, Critérium du Dauphiné, Tour de Suisse and Tour de Romandie.

In addition, he participated 25 times in the three-week races (9x Giro, 6x Tour and 10x Vuelta) and was present at 17 monuments, being Il Lombardia with 7 and Liège-Bastogne-Liège with 6 the ones he raced the most.

After fulfilling several dreams on the road, the 38-year-old Belgian is now moving to gravel, where he will have new challenges and goals to achieve.

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"Thomas de Gendt brings a wealth of experience," said Mathias Plouvier, CEO of Classified, in a press release. "His perseverance and passion for challenging races are a perfect fit for gravel racing. In addition, his pioneering spirit is an excellent addition to our team and a great ambassador for our innovative technology."

For de Gendt, the move is a new challenge and a continuation of his cycling career. "Moving to gravel racing is a challenge I'm really looking forward to," said de Gendt. "What appeals to me most about gravel is the combination of endurance and technique. I'm eager to see what we can achieve together and experience a successful season with the team. The hunger is still there," said the combative rider.

Team manager Nick Sannen is also excited about de Gendt's arrival. "Thomas brings a wealth of WorldTour experience that will be invaluable to our team. He will share his knowledge with his teammates as we support him to excel in gravel racing."

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