2024 Sensation Frank van den Broek gears up for second Tour. but what do he and Oscar Onley intend to accomplish?

In 2024, Van den Broek was still busy discovering his potential. That spring, he rode part of the Flemish spring classics, which he skipped this season. He finished seventh in the Tour of Turkey, which he had won the previous season; however, the Tour of Switzerland once again served as the final preparation for the Tour.

Between races, Van den Broek went to Tenerife for some altitude training. “We went to Mount Teide. The weather was good, but during the last week of altitude training, I felt a bit under the weather. As a result, I trained a little less than planned. It wasn't that I was really ill; I was just not feeling my best. I don't know what it was.”

“There doesn't necessarily have to be a reason for that. In the Tour of Switzerland, I was able to continue working towards my preparation for the Tour,” he added. “We were at altitude with Oscar Onley and Warren Barguil, the climbers. That's how it was last year, too, and it's always a lot of fun. We have a house there, on Mount Teide.”

Van den Broek will not be riding in the Dutch Championships in the run-up to the Tour. "When I heard it was going to be in Berg en Dal, I thought it would be great fun. However, unfortunately, the NATO summit made that impossible. Now we have a short, flat course, which doesn't really suit me. I would have liked to ride the Dutch National Time Trial Championships, but that's on Tuesday now, which is just too close to the Tour of Switzerland. And I haven't had my time trial bike at home much, so I haven't trained on it very much either."

Van den Broek is not someone who dwells on that one Tour day last year, not even in the run-up to his second participation. "I know what to expect now. There are a few stages that suit me, but above all, it's a really nice race to ride. I've trained more on the shorter efforts because I have a different trainer than last year."

Picnic PostNL, which has yet to announce its complete Tour squad, is initially aiming for stage wins on its way to Lille. Oscar Onley, third and stage winner in the Tour of Switzerland, says he is not immediately chasing a top place in the GC.

“I've taken a step forward in terms of results and performances in the past,” he told the organization after the race. “It doesn't change my approach to the Tour much. The plan is still to go for a stage win. That seems like a good first step for the Tour, as I still have plenty of time to return for a classification in the Tour. The Tour is on a different level, and I think it's better to go for a classification in the other Grand Tours first.”