2025 was “more educational than fun” for Krijnsen, who wants to really be in the mix from Omloop onwards

Krijnsen won a stage at the Tour of Denmark and the Druivenkoers in 2024, but things were tougher in 2025. “I actually expected more from it, especially in terms of my own performances,” he explains. “In the spring I struggled a bit with illness and colds, so I went into races with very little preparation. Then it’s hard to be up there at the front — I definitely found that out.”

After the spring illness, things went wrong again later in the year due to a crash in which he injured his neck. “So it was only a short period where I was able to show what I’m worth. That was frustrating, but on the other hand I also learned a lot from it — about how I should have approached things differently.”

So there is no talk of regret. It did take time to adjust to the level, because Krijnsen was thrown straight in at the deep end. “Now I have an idea of what the level is like and how those races are ridden,” he says. “It’s nice to have that picture for the coming years. I’m motivated to do it better this season — hopefully I can get to the start with a really good level.”

The 24-year-old was on the start line of almost every major Flemish race, but the highlights of his spring were Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix. “It was really, really cool. In recent years I was glued to the TV for those races, and now you’re riding them yourself. Especially Flanders was really special to experience.”

After that spring — which was disrupted by illness — Krijnsen did find better form later on. In Boucles de la Mayenne he sprinted to fourth place in stage two, before also finishing inside the top 10 at Tour of Slovenia and the Tour de Wallonie. It underlined what seems to suit him best: when the very fastest sprinters have been dropped, Krijnsen — who climbs well for a quick finisher — often still has something left.

“We really wanted to discover what kind of races would suit me, because at continental level you ride very different races at a different level,” he explains. “In Slovenia I found out that I can still finish well after long climbs, but I also handled a controlling role for Dylan (Groenewegen, ed.) well. I realised I can handle a broad spectrum of races.”

That should bode well for the Classics, too. Jayco-AlUla have reinforced for the cobbled spring, and Krijnsen believes that can help him take a step. “For the Belgian spring we’ve got a really strong team now, with a few Belgian guys added as well. If you’re alone at the front, you won’t get far. We’ll need each other: those races are so hard that the strongest riders will get the best results.”

In particular, Krijnsen points to Dries De Bondt as a valuable reference point — not only for the team, but personally as well. “He has the experience of how to approach those races and how to ride tactically. I can learn a lot from that, and as rider types we’re quite similar. We’ll also race many of the same events, so he’s someone I can really measure myself against.”

Last year Krijnsen felt he had something to prove, but 2026 should look different. His experiences in 2025 now need to pay off at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, where he begins his spring campaign. “I was too fanatical in January and February, which meant I overcooked myself a bit. This time we’ll go into it more cautiously, take a bit more rest. That way I hopefully start fresher and can grow through the spring.”