With the wise advice of Niki Terpstra in his ears, Fabio Jakobsen opted decisively for DSM-Firmenich PostNL

On a Monday afternoon at the Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe, DSM-Firmenich PostNL held its media day. Fabio Jakobsen, the newly recruited leader alongside Frenchman Romain Bardet, was undeniably the most sought-after individual. Not that Jakobsen minded; quite the opposite. From start to finish, from NOS to IDLProCycling.com, he willingly engaged with everyone and everything!

After six years with Quick-Step, Jakobsen made the transition to Iwan Spekenbrink's DSM-Firmenich PostNL on Jan. 1. Here, he is expected to be the missing piece of the puzzle in the sprint train the team has been constructing for some time. Jakobsen has opted for the Giro-Tour combination in the upcoming season, mirroring the choice made by the team's other leader, Bardet. In Calpe, he took all the time necessary to provide detailed insights into these decisions.

Fabio, which is tougher: this sponsorship day with media commitments or a tough Tour de France mountain ride?

(Laughs) "Oh, no. I'd rather do this day, haha. I know there's one such day in the year, and it's built up that way with me. In my first year, I had one talk, and then it became more and more. In those six years, that day has only gotten busier and busier. But you certainly won't hear me sigh and complain about that either, certainly not. It might be more mental.

Here on this day, you are the big man, but is that also the way you have been received at the team?

"I don't see myself as a big man. Everyone treats me normally, and if they ask something, I answer. I haven't changed from two or five years ago, but little by little, maybe I have become a little wiser. That doesn't make me the big man, but of course, I am the finisher."

Was it hard to leave Soudal Quick-Step, the team where you developed into that finisher after all?

"I knew anyway that the Tour at Soudal Quick-Step would go to Remco. I didn't have an offer either, so actually Patrick Lefevere didn't even give me the choice. I do regret that, but it's really no different. Remco deserves a full team, but I also need to be supported. That could go hand in hand, but then you are betting on two horses."

Was The Wolfpack of the past few months still The Wolfpack you started with on the team?

"It did. The staff was still there, and all the riders I have or had a connection with were still riding there. But I knew it wouldn't be the same this year as it was last year; they have ten or eleven young guys, and they are not the team that is going for stage or day success. A rider like Mikel Landa is obviously very good, but I can't remember his last victory. That doesn't diminish the rider he is, but for his price, you can get two or three riders who win more races. That's their choice, which I fully understand in that sense."

From Lefevere to Spekenbrink: could the contrast be greater?

"For me, there are a lot of similarities, but Patrick mixes more in the discussion and is tougher towards the outside world and media. They both have cycling and their own team as a passion and have been stable within the cycling peloton for years in their way. Both Patrick and Iwan have a track record of years as CEOs, each with their vision. I see more similarities than differences between the two, although I'm not sure they're both happy to hear that. (Laughs)

Was it an easy choice to go for DSM-Firmenich PostNL?

"Yes, actually. From the beginning, we had open and honest discussions with Ivan, Rudi Kemna, Roy Curvers... about what I want and expect from a team, but vice versa also about what they want and expect. If that's right, you can work together. I would like to sprint; they would like a sprinter... they speak in the 'we' form anyway, but I also know that - especially as a sprinter - we have to do it together.

Do Spekenbrink and co. now have their new Marcel Kittel in the house?

"I hope I can win as much as Kittel, and that's the goal. I don't know if I can, but I now have several stage wins in the Vuelta and one in the Tour, and we all want to add to that.

What will the lead-out look like 'all together' then?

"Timo Roosen as the penultimate man and Tobias Lund Andresen as the last lead-out at first, but also with Bram Welten, Nils Eekhoff, John Degenkolb, and Julius van den Berg. Because I am doing Giro and Tour, we change a bit throughout the year, also because we all have to work together. I am not used to that in six years; I changed lead-outs more often at Quick-Step. I had seven or eight of them. So I'm looking forward to that because you can learn something from everyone. There seems to be a good balance between experience and young dogs.

What was your role in the creation of that balance sheet?

"When we talked about a transfer, we did talk about names and back numbers. That has been a process where several names have been discussed, such as Michael Morkov, Florian Sénéchal, Danny van Poppel, and Bert Van Lerberghe. But with a guy like Bram Welten, you can also build on the future; who says he can't grow to the level of a Morkov?"

"The lead-out from DSM-Firmenich PostNL was on point, but in the Tour, for example, we didn't see them. That's not just changing names; it's a kind of balance you have to find together. With a guy like Timo, who has had success with Dylan Groenewegen and Olav Kooij and has even been the Dutch champion, everyone listens. Then we all do listen: not only Tobias Lund Andresen and Nikias Märkl but also me."

"Degenkolb is, of course, a wealth of experience, and then with Eekhoff, we also have a mega-engine. I'm used to working with Asgreen and Lampaert, and then I see a lot of similarities. Then I am not going to say that that is spring-specific, but you can also see it in his prologues: he can really drill three kilometers; you need those guys."

In addition to the lead-out, your program also mattered because you wanted to go to the Tour.

"The program is the most important thing. Niki Terpstra has always given me the advice: if you make the best choice in sport, then you are both the happiest, and in the end, it is always financially right. The Giro and Tour, that's where my qualities lie. I'm just not really a classics rider; otherwise, I would have been in that group. I can win Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, but Ghent-Wevelgem and Milan-Sanremo are already much more difficult. Then you have to make choices."

What exactly do those choices look like in 2024?

"If you want to do the spring, you can't go straight to the Giro. The build-up to Giro and Tour should be possible, and that's what we are going to try. And then we have to skip the spring, in part. I ride Oman, UAE Tour, Paris-Nice, Bredene-Koksijde, Bruges-De Panne, the Tour of Turkey before the Giro and working towards the Tour from Baloise Belgium Tour."

Last year didn't work out at the Tour; did you sit with that?

It wasn't my best season, but I'm not dissatisfied either. When you win a stage in Tirreno, twice in the Tour of Belgium and Denmark... it just really didn't work out in the Tour, but victories don't come to order either. With my abilities, the road to the biggest goals should be bump-free. You can get away with a crash, but not with a crash like that in the finale and then two mountain stages. There was nothing broken, but in the end, it was clear from the night's rest and wattages that I couldn't ride what I actually could. I was riding below level.

New year, new opportunities. We are running out of time, so I have to let you go. Good luck this season!

"How many more questions do you have? Just pick the nicest ones."

Julius (Jakobsen nods) You're going to race with that now too, how special is that? Has it come full circle?

"Yes, Julius! I've always kept an eye on Julius. In the first interviews, I sometimes dropped his name because he really is a highly regarded rider. He comes across as a kind of go-getter who is very relaxed, but there really is an engine in him. And he's getting better with the miles he's racing. After the summer, a spot became available, and then I was talking to Roy Curvers about it, so I let them know how I see it. I dared to put my hand in the fire."

"What Julius lacked in structure at EF, he gets here; maybe too much. It is not overly structured here because I have been a perfectionist all my life. Because then I know that you can look back to where something has gone wrong, but for him, this is maybe a new start. The circle is indeed complete so together, let's continue writing that story. We're not even halfway through our careers if all goes well; I certainly hope to cycle until I'm 35."