Lennert Van Eetvelt

Lennert Van Eetvelt
Van Eetvelt at the 2021 Tour Alsace
Personal information
Born (2001-07-17) 17 July 2001 (age 23)
Tienen, Belgium
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
Team information
Current teamLotto–Dstny
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeClimber
Amateur teams
2018Wim Ruelens Olympia Tienen
2019Brain² Olympia Tienen
2020–2022Lotto–Soudal U23[1]
Professional team
2023–Lotto–Dstny
Major wins
Stage races
Tour of Guangxi (2024)
UAE Tour (2024)

Lennert Van Eetvelt (born 17 July 2001) is a Belgian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam Lotto–Dstny.[2][3]

Career

Early years

Van Eetvelt started cycling when he was 8 or 9 years old.[4] As a junior rider, he finished third in the Aubel–Thimister–Stavelot and eighth in the Course de la Paix Juniors, before being recruited by Lotto–Soudal U23, the development program for UCI ProTeam Lotto–Soudal, in 2020. The following year, he was crowned the Belgian under-23 time trial champion.[5] In 2022, he showed strength in stage races, winning the Course de la Paix U23 – Grand Prix Jeseníky and finishing runner-up in the Giro Ciclistico d'Italia and the Tour Alsace. In April, he also finished second to Romain Grégoire in the single-day Liège–Bastogne–Liège Espoirs.

Professional career

Van Eetvelt stepped up to Lotto–Dstny in 2023.[6] In his first week racing as a professional, Van Eetvelt took two podium finishes in the Challenge Mallorca, finishing second in the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana and third in the Trofeo Andratx–Mirador D'es Colomer. In March, he took part in his first UCI World Tour level event, finishing 15th overall in the Volta a Catalunya. In April, he competed in the La Flèche Wallonne, finishing 22nd. He then won the Alpes Isère Tour in May while riding down a level with the development squad, taking solo victories on the last two stages.[7] He took his first pro level win on stage two of the Sibiu Cycling Tour in July. He entered his first Grand Tour: the Vuelta a España in August. On stage 14, he placed third, having been part of the breakaway, followed by a 4th place on the penultimate stage, again being part of the breakaway.[8]

On January 26, 2024, he won the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana, part of the Challenge Mallorca, beating Aleksandr Vlasov and Brandon McNulty in a three-way sprint.[7] On February 25, he won the final stage solo at the top of Jebel Hafeet and took the general classification of the UAE Tour, his first victory in a UCI World Tour race.[9]

Major results

2019
3rd Overall Aubel–Thimister–Stavelot
1st Mountains classification
5th Overall Tour du Pays de Vaud
8th Overall Course de la Paix Juniors
2021
National Under-23 Road Championships
1st Time trial
3rd Road race
UEC European Under-23 Road Championships
5th Road race
9th Time trial
5th Liège–Bastogne–Liège Espoirs
8th Overall Tour Alsace
2022
1st Overall Grand Prix Jeseníky
1st Stage 2
2nd Overall Giro Ciclistico d'Italia
1st Stage 6
2nd Overall Tour Alsace
2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège Espoirs
2nd Flèche Ardennaise
3rd Time trial, National Under-23 Road Championships
6th Overall Tour de Normandie
2023 (1 pro win)
1st Overall Alpes Isère Tour
1st Points classification
1st Young rider classification
1st Stages 4 & 5
2nd Overall Sibiu Cycling Tour
1st Young rider classification
1st Stage 2
2nd Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana
3rd Mercan'Tour Classic
3rd Trofeo Andratx–Mirador D'es Colomer
2024 (5)
1st Overall Tour of Guangxi
1st Young rider classification
1st Stage 5
1st Overall UAE Tour
1st Young rider classification
1st Stage 7
1st Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana
3rd Clásica de San Sebastián
4th Overall Sibiu Cycling Tour
7th Giro di Lombardia
8th Trofeo Pollença–Port d'Andratx

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour 2023 2024
A pink jersey Giro d'Italia
A yellow jersey Tour de France
A red jersey Vuelta a España 32 DNF
Legend
Did not compete
DNF Did not finish

References

  1. ^ "Development Team". lottosoudal.be. Lotto–Soudal. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Lennert Van Eetvelt". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Lennert Van Eetvelt signs pro contract with Lotto Soudal". lottosoudal.be. Lotto–Soudal. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  4. ^ Kurt Vermeerbergen (8 May 2019). "Lennert Van Eetvelt start in Course de La Paix: "Op dit niveau goede uitslagen rijden is een doel"". cyclingsite.be (in Dutch).
  5. ^ James Odvart (17 July 2021). "Lennert Van Eetvelt s'offre un joli cadeau d'anniversaire". directvelo.com.
  6. ^ Lennert Van Eetvelt promu en WorldTour - Actualité - DirectVelo
  7. ^ a b "One to Watch: Lennert Van Eetvelt Joins Pogačar, Evenepoel as Winner of UAE Tour". velo.outsideonline.com. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  8. ^ Farrand, Stephen (9 September 2023). "Vuelta a España: Remco Evenepoel bounces back from disappointment to win stage 14 atop Puerto de Belagua". CyclingNews. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  9. ^ Ryan, Barry (25 February 2024). "Lennert Van Eetvelt wins UAE Tour with stage victory atop Jebel Hafeet". CyclingNews. Retrieved 25 February 2024.