Frank van den Broek and a Dumoulin-like GC in races with top riders: Is it achievable?

When Frank van den Broek began his first year as a pro in early 2024, he could also not have imagined that just one year later, he would be treated like a big man at Picnic-PostNL. The 24-year-old Dutch rider had a fantastic season but emphasized in a conversation with IDLProCycling.com that one should not suddenly expect miracles from him in 2025.

In 2023, at the age of 22, Van den Broek became a stage and overall winner in the Ronde de l'Oise (2.2) as a rider for ABLOC and then competed for a long time for the Dutch road title. Picnic-PostNL immediately gave him a contract, and as a brand new WorldTour rider, Van den Broek immediately won a stage in the Tour of Qinghai Lake.

In 2024, things improved further and further. Van de Broek, who at the end of 2023 didn't even really know what kind of rider he was, gave teammate Romain Bardet the stage win and the yellow in stage one of the Tour de France. In the months before, he also briefly won the Tour of Turkey, finished seventh in the Tour of Denmark, and rode the World Cup for the Netherlands.

He may go to the Tour again in 2025 after starting this week in the AlUla Tour. He gathered bonus seconds on day one, a sign that Van den Broek wants to go for a GC. And why shouldn't he? Now that the discovery tour 2024 is behind us, shouldn't we expect something from the now 24-year-old Frank in 2025? In the attack? In a GC? In the Tour? He comments...

Read more below the photo.

Van den Broek (left) and Bardet (right) for 1 and 2 in the opening stage of the Tour!

After 2024, Van den Broek knows what he is capable of

2024 was an outstanding year. How was your last winter?

"Yes, good. I went to Spain fairly early and stayed there the whole time. I managed to train and recover in good conditions. So it went well, haven't gotten ill yet..."

With 22 degrees in Calpe, that's also a bit more difficult, right?

"Well, we've had a few bad days too, haha."

We spoke to each other several times in 2024, and you said you had surprised yourself each time while searching for what kind of rider you actually are. Did you figure that out a bit towards 2025?

"Yes, I did discover that I can handle a lot of races. Not so much to always compete for the win, but in any case, always to be useful for the team. I've also noticed that I can go for my chances and perform there, especially in the one-week stage races. Then we're not talking about the WorldTour races, but the races just below that, at 2.Pro level. I enjoyed riding there, going for a GC, and occasionally coming close to a stage win. That will be my main focus in 2025."

You had a privileged year in 2024, where you were thrown into the deep end—sometimes perhaps unintentionally—riding against the big contenders. We all saw the first stage of the Tour de France with Bardet, but how did you feel about the days in a peloton when you were not at the front?

"A good example was Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, I think my first WorldTour race in 2024 and of my career. I was in the early breakaway, and eventually, we ended up in the first echelon. I was actually quite comfortable in such a tough race... In the final, I knew I had to be a little bit better if I wanted to perform there, but it was a good start.

For example, on the Tour of Catalonia, I waited a week at the back of the peloton. I wanted to be in the breakaway, but it was a struggle. That made me stronger, which allowed me to win in Turkey a month later. So it is true that you can get stronger from those WorldTour races, with which you can then compete for wins in the races just below that."

You will do that combination in 2025, with your own chances and the Tour de France again. So, do you want to ride in one of those WorldTour races to maybe be in the middle of the peloton later on instead of in the back?

"Haha, yes, for sure. In the Tour, you have guys for the GC, guys in support, guys going for a stage, and guys for the sprint. I did figure out that I could keep up well uphill, so in a big tour like this, there are also three or four chances for me to win from the breakaway."

Will you also get more satisfaction because you will soon be competing more easily with the best riders, perhaps even more than riding a result in a smaller race?

"Exactly. I think that step is also easier to make than suddenly starting to win many races at a lower level. Winning is harder than moving up in the results from place forty to fifteen. I feel like riding all those WorldTour races again to see if I get better and how much better."

Your expectations will also increase, although you will also hope that not everyone will suddenly expect you to be among the first in every race.

"No, it's not realistic to think I'm going to be in top form in every race soon. I don't look at it that way."

Now that you have seen the level you have to compete against at the highest level, where is your limit now?

"In terms of pure climbing performance, competing against the top ten of a GC will be difficult. But I can ride uphill well on a good day, especially during the breakaway. If it's hard-working all day, and then a tough final..."

What areas did you particularly want to progress in the winter training camps?

"I don't know; I'm just getting better. I just hope I can keep making progress. Every workout is heavier than the last, and the main thing is to execute them well. Recover well, and then it's out of my hands."

In which races will you participate before the Tour de France?

"I'm preparing almost the same as last year, starting in the AlUla Tour. A few fewer days of racing, but otherwise, it looks pretty much the same."

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