Jakobsen is brutally honest about failed debut year with new team: "Yes, I feel responsible"

A new team, a fresh start: Fabio Jakobsen aimed to rediscover his top form and shine in major races with Team dsm-firmenich PostNL. That didn’t happen—Jakobsen, known as the Hulk of Heukelum, struggled to reach his level in both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, leaving both races early. Yet, the sprinter remains optimistic and eagerly looks forward to the new season.

In 2024, Jakobsen was far from his former self. Speaking with Daniel Benson, he is candid about his situation. “Yes, I feel responsible for the position I’m in,” he says. “I’m the finisher, so I want to be the guy who can deliver at the end. I’ve done it in the past, and I want to do it again in the future. The work I need to do started in November, and I’ll keep working until March and then until the Tour de France. That’s the big goal again. In between, we need to make progress and improve.”

The former Dutch champion has already been preparing for the new season for a month. “I’m motivated. This year wasn’t great, but with a new team, you always need to adjust and find your way. I think we expected more, but it’s not like I was far off. We just wanted to take it to the next level and compete for victories everywhere instead of just chasing results.”

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Fabio Jakobsen crossed the line alone more often in the Giro than he cared to.

"I give one hundred percent, but in top sports sometimes that's not enough"

This past year, Jakobsen won just once. He can clearly pinpoint where things went wrong. “You have to adjust to the new training schedule and equipment. I had some small setbacks, and in top sports, those can become quite significant. But I also think the sport has progressed—everyone has gotten better. I need to improve too, especially here, where there’s less experience and more young guys. Things got a little better at the end of the year, but as I said, we can still make progress.”

At his new team—soon to be known as Picnic-PostNL—Jakobsen had to adapt in several areas. One significant change was his lead-out: instead of the experienced Michael Mørkøv, he now has younger, less experienced riders leading him. It has made things more challenging. “I give one hundred percent, but in top sports, that’s sometimes not enough. But I can look at myself in the mirror and say I gave it everything.”

The past season didn’t go as hoped. “We kind of missed the start this year. I was okay in the UAE Tour but not good enough to win. I had a few races where I was decent, but I still didn’t win. I was almost at the front but couldn’t quite get there, especially in the Giro, where I wasn’t at my best. I was always one of the first to drop and never really in contention for victory in the finales. That’s something I need to work on. But between the Giro and the Tour, I took a step forward. I was very focused for six weeks, changed my training approach, and lost a bit of weight. I was closer in the Tour, but I want to build on that next year.”

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Fabio Jakobsen's only win came in the Tour of Turkey.

Belief in winning must lead to success in the Tour de France

Has the confidence of the former European champion been shaken after failing to reach his old level with his new team? “In some ways, yes, but I still enter races believing I can win. Especially in the final one or two kilometers. I know that if I’m in a good position, I can compete. I was often too far out of position and not physically strong enough to sprint. So it’s not just about confidence.”

The goal for 2025 is clear: to win more, especially at the highest level. “I want to start the season with a few victories and then focus on winning a stage in the Tour de France. That’s the pinnacle of the sport, and I’ve only won there once. I want to win a second time.”

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