Former Dutch national coach Sven Vanthourenhout still unemployed after promising deal fell through: "That turned out not to be the case"

Sven Vanthourenhout stepped down as coach of the Belgian cycling and cyclo-cross teams at the end of last season. Given the success he achieved in that role, it was widely expected that the 43-year-old Belgian would quickly find a new job in the cycling world. However, that hasn’t happened — for now, he remains without a full-time position. Though he does have a side gig to keep him busy during the winter.

"I do work — I’m an analyst for Sporza," he joked in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. "But I can honestly say that I let go of being the national coach pretty quickly. For example, I didn’t watch the European Championships in Pontevedra with the mindset of ‘I would now do this or that.’" It was the first major tournament where Vanthourenhout wasn’t coaching the Belgian national team. Rather, Thibau Nys became European champion in Spain, under the leadership of Angelo De Clercq.

Vanthourenhout admits that his search for a new role hasn’t gone as planned. "Look, the general expectation was that I would quickly transition into another role after leaving the national team. Honestly, I thought so too. But it didn’t happen. Either I didn’t take the next step, or the offers weren’t for the role I had in mind. Plus, it was already late in the season. Several teams told me, ‘Sven, if we had known this a month earlier…’"

Because there was certainly no shortage of interest. Vanthourenhout recounts the conversations he had, and they were with some major players in the cycling world. "Over the past months, I’ve met with Patrick Lefevere, Ralph Denk (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, ed.), Grischa Niermann (Visma-Lease a Bike, ed.), Fabian Cancellara (Tudor, ed.)… and earlier with Mauro Gianetti and Joxean Matxin of UAE Team Emirates. Those were certainly valuable conversations. In September and October, I spoke with many people, and I really thought I had something lined up. But later, that turned out not to be the case."

Read more below the photo!

Vanthourenhout spoke with Lefevere, but that didn't lead to anything

Two years ago, UAE approached him: "They had an offer on the table..."

A month ago, Vanthourenhout discussed the failed deal with Soudal Quick-Step. "We talked about the past and the future. Patrick asked me what I envisioned for myself within his team. I explained it to him, and he listened. Later, he told me that there was no budget to make that role happen," Vanthourenhout shared. He was disappointed but didn’t dwell on it for long. He found positives in his unemployment. "I’ve let it go. In November and December, I stopped actively searching. I enjoyed spending time with my family. For the first time in 25 years, I didn’t have to be at some cyclo-cross event around Christmas."

The former coach is not yet in a financial position where he never needs to work again, as he candidly puts it, but he isn’t in a rush. "If money was my main concern, I would have joined UAE two years ago. They had an offer on the table. Looking back now, you might say, ‘I should have taken it,’ but I don’t think like that. Then I wouldn’t have experienced the Paris Olympics, and that’s something I find much more valuable. I’m not looking for just a paycheck. I’m looking for something I can fully commit to."

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