6th in Roubaix, but for German from merger team, 2025 was tough: 'Some of the worst days I’ve ever experienced on the bike''

When the only riders finishing ahead of you on the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux in Roubaix are Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, Mads Pedersen, Wout van Aert and Florian Vermeersch, you should be able to look back on the Paris-Roubaix with pride. For a German rider from Intermarché-Wanty, however, that achievement was overshadowed by quite a dramatic continuation of the season.

Jonas Rutsch was part of the very first breakaway group in Paris-Roubaix. The 27-year-old then held his own impressively amid the violence of the favourites and eventually finished sixth in Roubaix. After placing eleventh on his Monument debut, this result marked a new high point in his career. It should have been the start of a top season - but the opposite proved true.

The towering German was being prepared for the Tour de France, but suffered a heavy crash in the eighth stage to Laval. Remarkably, he was able to get back on his bike and even finished the race, but only just. His back troubled him badly, while stomach and intestinal problems turned the final week into a nightmare.

The UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda were supposed to be a fitting finale to Rutsch’s year, but once again things went wrong. His digestive issues resurfaced, leaving him seriously ill and causing him to lose no less than four kilograms - almost impossible at that level. "2025 really contained some of the worst days I’ve ever experienced on the bike,” he told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

All the hardships of the past season have also taught him valuable lessons. “More than ever, I’m trying not to worry about all the possible scenarios anymore - both on and off the bike,” he explains. “So instead of imagining every possible situation, I only focus on what actually happens and what I can influence.”

In addition, 2025 also brought considerable uncertainty about job security. Intermarché-Wanty is set to merge with Lotto ahead of the 2026 season. It was a long process, filled with doubts over who would receive a contract with the merged team, and who would not. Fortunately for Rutsch, he was quickly informed that he was on the shortlist.

Still, it was an anxious period for the classics specialist. “It’s much more complex than a normal team change,” he says. “Two existing structures have to find a common foundation - everything is doubled. Alongside the things that work, problems arise on both sides. But after the first training camps, I’ve been positively surprised by the atmosphere and team spirit.”

With his qualities, Rutsch could become an important asset for a rider like Arnaud De Lie. He knows himself that the time to deliver is now. “I’ve shown often enough that I’m physically capable of making a difference, even in race finals,” he concludes. “I’m now in the optimal period to reach my personal peak in professional cycling.”