Jasper Stuyven not done dreaming: ‘I’ve achieved many dreams, but many more not yet’

Stuyven has been a familiar name in the peloton for years. He won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in 2020 and Milan–Sanremo in 2021, among other big results. Every victory on his palmarès came in the colours of Lidl-Trek (and previously Trek-Segafredo), but this winter that kit has made way for Soudal Quick-Step’s blue.

The Classics specialist says he’s enjoying life in a new environment. “I was with one team for twelve years, so it’s really nice to have everything feel new again,” Stuyven explains. He also says it’s good to finally be riding in a Belgian set-up. “That’s really nice — not that it wasn’t good at an American team, but I always enjoyed training with the national team too.”

Stuyven adds that the final decision on his next step wasn’t something he made entirely alone. “I already knew a lot of people at the team, and I asked them for advice.” Plenty of people weighed in, but he singles out one former teammate in particular. “Tim Declercq was my teammate at Lidl-Trek and he gave me really good feedback about the team — he said I would fit in very well.” Declercq is now also a coach at Soudal Quick-Step.

Stuyven also looks back on where his love for the sport began. “I wasn’t really from a cycling family, but in Belgium cycling is the biggest sport in the country. Luckily my grandfather loved it, and he took me to the races.” That’s how the eventual Monument winner first got on the bike.

Even then, Stuyven says he stayed realistic about how hard it is to make it as a professional — partly thanks to his parents. “My parents did point out that only a few riders become full-time pros, but you keep dreaming.” And for Soudal Quick-Step’s newest signing, those dreams didn’t stay dreams for long.

“When I became junior world champion, I knew I could make it as a pro — the only question is always how long you can keep it going.” Quite a long time, it turns out: Stuyven has now been riding in the peloton for twelve years, taking nine professional wins along the way. Still, he insists he’s not finished.

“I’ve achieved some great dreams, but there are still a lot I haven’t,” Stuyven says with clear hunger. “That’s why I’m still here, and why I still have the same passion for the sport.” This year, the Belgian leader at Soudal Quick-Step will again be at the start of the Opening Weekend — races he has already won before.

For Stuyven, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad even ranks among the two best wins of his career — and not only because of the prestige. “I had a really poor year in 2019, and winning Omloop in 2020 was the moment for me to show that I was still there,” he explains.

He also still cherishes his unexpected victory at Milan–Sanremo. “Everyone was focused on Van Aert (Wout), Van der Poel (Mathieu) and Alaphilippe (Julian), but nobody was counting on me,” the Monument winner says, still proudly.

And when it comes to the dream race he’d most like to add to his palmarès, it’s not the Tour of Flanders. “I love Flanders and E3, but deep down, the race I love most is Paris-Roubaix.” Stuyven is on the provisional start list for the Hell of the North this spring.