Exactly half a year has passed since Lennert Van Eetvelt last wore a race number, but ironically, in the opening stage of the Tour Down Under, that will change. However, precisely because it has been so long since the 24-year-old Lotto-Intermarché talent raced, let alone at his best level, it’s uncertain where he currently stands.
The best Lennert Van Eetvelt commands stage races at WorldTour level and competes for stage victories in grand tours. But the period when Van Eetvelt won the UAE Tour and Tour of Guangxi, and nearly did the same in a Vuelta stage, is now a year and a half behind us. "It’s been since the Volta a Catalunya (in March 2025, ed.) that I’ve raced without broken bones," Van Eetvelt joked on Lotto-Intermarché’s press day. Last season was one to quickly forget for Van Eetvelt.
Leading up to the Tour of Flanders, he broke his foot. "And since then it never really fully healed. At times I felt good condition-wise, but overall I never reached my level. I still tried to prepare myself for the Tour de France, but I crashed again at the Belgian Championships. In the first few days of the Tour de France, it was the same story."
And not without consequences.
"After the Belgian Championships, we thought my muscles were simply strained and that things would improve in the following weeks—during the Tour de France—but unfortunately, that was not the case. Due to that extra crash in the Tour, we couldn’t distinguish which symptoms came from which crash, and so it took a long time before I got a diagnosis. Eventually, I had some cracks in my vertebrae, which normally require a maximum of six weeks recovery. But because I kept pushing during the Tour, it took me longer."
Van Eetvelt was overall winner in Guangxi in 2024 - photo: Cor Vos
So long that you couldn’t race anymore?
"After that difficult Tour, I did try to get ready in time to race again. I hoped to still race the Giro di Lombardia at the very end of the year, but I wasn’t ready. When I tried to resume in August, I had to get off the bike after only two days repeatedly. It was only in September that I really started riding again. I had a kind of 'reset' and maybe I need to be thankful for that. I’m now pain-free again, and that is by far the most important thing for me."
What do you learn from such a year full of bad luck?
"That I need to enjoy the moments when things are going well more. It was not a good year and I went through many tough moments. Mentally, it wasn’t easy either, but you don’t become a rider without falling. It’s part of it. On the other hand, I realize more than ever that I have to be happy in the moments when I feel good again, like now. Whether I win a race with that or not doesn’t matter. Staying healthy is the most important thing."
What does that do to your ambitions for the upcoming season?
>The biggest ambition is to stay injury-free for a year. I could say I want to win that race or get on the podium there, but a year without too much misery would already be great. The results will follow naturally then."
With what mindset are you starting the Tour Down Under then?
>"Hungry. Starting is always tough. But I’m very happy to be able to start early in the year. I’ve been training for a while and specifically asked to start early in Down Under. After I couldn’t race anymore last year, I kept working until now. I’ve had all the time to gradually build up towards this race. I have a good base again, and I also like racing in high temperatures like here and in the UAE Tour."
Van Eetvelt in his new jersey - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Do you have an idea where you stand? There is also a whole new generation now with Jarno Widar and Paul Seixas, and you hope they don’t overtake you.
>"Not really. We still need to wait and see. I feel good on the bike again, and that’s the most important thing. But it’s always hard to gauge where you stand after the winter. Because I raced so long ago, it’s even harder. But I don’t worry about it. I can’t change much about it. I train as hard as I can, and then we see what that brings in the races."
How is your relationship with Jarno?
>"I was very happy he was with us on training camp. We share the same mentality, and it’s great to have someone with that kind of potential on the team. That makes it easier for me to push things forward in terms of performance, like equipment, altitude camps, and testing. If he supports that too, it’s only good. It’s not competition. Two years ago, I also saw with Maxim Van Gils that racing together makes you better. I’m happy to race more with Jarno because we don’t race much together."
If you want to get back to your best level, you’ll have to stay injury-free.
>"That’s a goal, and maybe the biggest thing I missed in recent years. That consistency to move to a higher level, to be able to add something each time instead of having to start over every time. Maybe it would be better to perform a bit less in my peak periods as long as I can sustain those periods longer. That’s better than being in misery again and again."
Your sporting manager Kurt Van de Wouwer says you’re currently putting grand tour general classifications aside.
>"That remains to be seen. In the Giro d'Italia, I’ve already seen that a few nice stages are planned in the first week, so we’ll look at that first. It’s a race that should suit me well anyway. Because we haven’t started there in previous years, I never had the chance to race there. After the Giro, I’ll take a week off before starting the extremely tough double with the Tour de France."
Your program is packed with many big races in spring. Aren’t you afraid of the backlash after Down Under?
>"No, I deliberately only race the Tour Down Under and not the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, precisely to avoid that backlash. We left on January 13 and return immediately after the race. Then I have three weeks until the UAE Tour. That should be enough to overcome the jetlag and gradually build towards the next goals."
Are you under extra stress because you’re entering your last contract year?
>"That always plays a bit. It’s strange because I’ve been with Lotto for so long that sometimes I wonder what it would be like to ride somewhere else. But we haven’t had any talks yet, and that’s not what’s foremost on my mind right now. For me, it’s important to have a good year again after all the bad luck of the past two years."
Van Eetvelt during Strade Bianche - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Lennert Van Eetvelt| Race | Date |
|---|---|
 Santos Tour Down Under | 20 Jan - 25 Jan |
 UAE Tour | 16 Feb - 22 Feb |
 Strade Bianche | 7 Mar |
| Tirreno-Adriatico | 9 Mar - 15 Mar |
| La Flèche Wallonne | 22 Apr |
| Liège-Bastogne-Liège | 26 Apr |
| Giro d'Italia | 9 May - 31 May |
 Tour de France | 4 Jul - 26 Jul |
