Dylan Teuns doesn’t hold back against former team: "That's just a pretty weak explanation"

Dylan Teuns is glad he won’t be riding for Israel-Premier Tech in 2025. The 32-year-old Belgian left Bahrain Victorious mid-2022 with much fanfare to take on a leadership role at his new team. However, he claims he didn’t get enough opportunities to fulfill that role.

After his transfer in 2022, Teuns immediately delivered with a fourth place in the Tour of Britain. In the following season, he was mainly used in stage races, achieving ninth place in the Tour de Suisse but failing to make an impact in the Tour de France. In 2024, he had a solid spring campaign, with second place in the Brabantse Pijl and eighth in the Tour of Flanders as his best results. The plan was to head to the Tour de France again via the Critérium du Dauphiné, but things didn’t go as expected.

"I had already started preparing for the Tour, had the Dauphiné in my legs, and felt myself improving during the altitude camp. But the team decided to take a sprinter (Pascal Ackermann) who needed a support squad. That left me competing for a spot with another rider, and ultimately, I wasn’t selected. I thought that was a pretty weak explanation," Teuns told Sporza.

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Dylan Teuns

At Cofidis, Teuns wants to be his best self again

Missing out on the Tour de France prompted Dylan Teuns to set his agent into action. "Israel-Premier Tech hadn’t even made me a concrete offer at that point," he remarked pointedly. Ultimately, he landed at Cofidis. "I’ll kick off my season at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, followed by Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and Strade Bianche, if all goes as planned. That’s a block where I want to start strong. But my main focus will be on the period from the Tour of Flanders through to Liège-Bastogne-Liège."

Cofidis isn’t mincing words: they expect Teuns to be able to compete with the likes of Mathieu van der Poel and others on his best day. "How can I win the Tour of Flanders? With a lot of luck, for sure. With so many big names at the start, I’m not even thinking about how to win it. Just reaching the podium would already be a huge boost to my confidence."

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Teuns disappointed by rescheduling Brabantse Pijl

Teuns has 14 career victories to his name, many in races that required a strong punch at the finish. His achievements include overall wins in the Tour de Wallonie, the Tour of Poland, and the Arctic Race of Norway in 2017, undoubtedly his breakthrough year. He also had an outstanding 2019, with stage wins in the Dauphiné and the Tour de France, and in 2021, he took another Tour stage victory. In 2022, he added significant wins at La Flèche Wallonne and the Tour de Romandie.

His abilities are evident in his results in the classics as well. Keeping up with Van der Poel? A third-place finish in the Giro di Lombardia and a second-place finish in the Brabantse Pijl give reason for optimism. However, Teuns is frustrated that the Brabantse Pijl has been moved in 2025 from Wednesday to the Friday before the Amstel Gold Race. "I’m not in favor of it because now I’ll likely have to choose between the Brabantse Pijl and the Amstel Gold Race—two races that suit me well. It’s such a shame since there are only four climbing classics in the spring."

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