Nathan Van Hooydonck: Jumbo-Visma bids farewell to rider who embodied all the team stands for

Van Hooydonck was born on October 12, 1995, in Belgium, into a family deeply involved in cycling. Both his father Gino and uncle Edwig were professional cyclists, with his uncle winning the Tour of Flanders twice (1989 and 1991).

It comes as no surprise then that he too gravitated towards cycling: as a junior, he was already seen as a top talent. In 2015, this led to a contract with the prestigious BMC Development Team. Two years later, he secured a professional contract with the team, joining the likes of Greg Van Avermaet, Richie Porte, Samuel Sánchez and Rohan Dennis in 2017.

As a neo-pro, he transitioned to the major American team in May of that year. In his second month, he immediately made a strong impression at the Belgian Championships. The barely 21-year-old Van Hooydonck was prominent in a strong group that included winner Oliver Naesen, Sep Vanmarcke and Jasper Stuyven, against whom he eventually had to concede. But he had set the tone.

In 2018, the Belgian immediately earned a spot as a regular starter in BMC's spring team, though the looming issue of the sponsor's potential withdrawal was at that point already playing out in the background. Team leader Greg Van Avermaet had a very consistent classics season, but a major victory eluded the team that year. At the end of that year, CCC took over the sponsorship, which led to Van Hooydonck racing in orange until the end of 2020.

During those years, he especially demonstrated his class and loyalty in service of Van Avermaet, though there was still anticipation for when the immensely strong Belgian would fully come into his own. To that end, he moved into Dutch territory, joining Jumbo-Visma. "This really feels like a new chapter in my career. I am very much looking forward to my first moments with this team. For me, this is the best team to improve myself as a cyclist," he stated upon his transfer announcement. That alone immediately indicated that he was seen as an important player for team leader Wout van Aert.

At the team's first training camp, he felt right at home, partly due to the Dutch culture. Van Hooydonck, having a Dutch partner, felt like a fish in water. "I love that mentality. Also, here I am allowed to chase my own success. Not always, but when the opportunity arises, I can go for the victory. The team also believes that I have those qualities," he said prior to his first races for the team in early 2021.

In his first spring season in the yellow and black, he immediately proved why he had been brought to Jumbo-Visma. Particularly in Gent-Wevelgem, Van Hooydonck played a more than crucial role as a domestique for eventual winner Van Aert, who rightfully called him the 'MVP' afterwards. The strong rider single-handedly ensured that powerful men like Stefan Küng and Michael Matthews couldn't break away in a select group, following which Van Aert neatly finished things off in a sprint with seven. It was a textbook example of teamwork, although Van Hooydonck had to really dig deep on the Kemmelberg. "I really suffered incredibly hard. I was also a bit scared to fall back, because I didn't want to leave him alone," the super domestique revealed.

Due to his performances, he was also included in Jumbo-Visma's Vuelta team in his first year, which was successfully concluded by team leader Primoz Roglic, with Van Hooydonck again proving invaluable. A match made in heaven, Jumbo-Visma and that powerhouse from Belgium. Even in tougher times, as Van Hooydonck faced a hefty setback on a personal level at the end of 2021 with the passing of his newborn son, Thiago.

"Dear Thiago, your heart stopped beating before we could hold you in our arms," Van Hooydonck wrote in a post on Instagram. "Yet you gave us some incredibly beautiful moments. For a little while, there were three of us. Mommy, daddy and you, our little rascal."

Nevertheless, in his second year with the Dutch team, the strong rider from Belgium was back in action in the spring, earning himself a spot in the heavily coveted Jumbo-Visma Tour de France selection. During the Tour, he was one of the key supporters for Jonas Vingegaard's first Tour victory, although he did not make it to the celebration in Paris. He did not start on the penultimate day because of family circumstances.

Anyone might have been deeply affected by such events, but Van Hooydonck picked himself up once again and took another significant step forward in his sports career in the winter of 2022/2023. In the Opening Weekend, he and his team showed that they were not to be trifled with that spring: after an impressive victory by Dylan van Baarle with equally impressive teamwork in the Omloop, in Kuurne the duo Tiesj Benoot/Van Hooydonck rode their way to success. Benoot made the decisive move at the right moment, and Van Hooydonck completed the celebration by finishing second.

This was the prelude to a very successful classics season, where the super domestique consistently finished in the top twenty. This was rewarded with another spot in the Tour de France team, where the broad-shouldered Belgian proved to be of immense value yet again. Although he reached Paris in slightly less than optimal form due to a severe crash, the celebration that followed was no less joyful.

After the World Championships in Glasgow and a rest period, Van Hooydonck was to accompany Van Aert in the Tour of Britain, building up to the European Championships in Drenthe. However, in mid-September, the Belgian's life changed completely in an instant. While driving through Kalmthout, he suffered a heart problem, unintentionally causing an accident. Van Hooydonck was quickly taken to the hospital in Antwerp, and it took several anxious hours until Jumbo-Visma could confirm that the rider was awake and would come away without any major injuries.

The news understandably hit hard among both the Jumbo-Visma riders who were at the time competing in the Vuelta and in particular teammates such as Wout Van Aert. Van Hooydonck himself couldn't remember the accident but quickly realized it would have significant implications for his life. A week later, he was able to leave the hospital, but at the same time came the announcement that his career as a professional cyclist would be over following the placement of a defibrillator.

"Maybe things would have gone differently if I hadn't received quick help. I'm doing well now, but I still have to deal with the fact that this marks the end of my professional career. I want to express my gratitude to the people who helped me, the medical team at the hospital, and all the fans who sent me messages," he stated in the announcement.

Van Aert was quick to offer support to his companion at the European Championships. "He is someone you could build a team around. You could always completely rely on him to throw himself into it and to perform his job well. If we needed to be in a certain position, we were often there thanks to Nathan. He was also a role model in the team on how to live for your profession," said the Belgian. European Championship winner Christophe Laporte and Vuelta stars Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss also had words of praise for their teammate, who always honored the team's 'Winning Together' creed when racing.

Fortunately for the Belgian, relatively soon after the accident, he welcomed his son Alessio into the world. Nathan is currently exploring what his life will bring next. A career as a team manager doesn't seem immediately viable due to the extensive travel involved, but in the meantime, the Belgian - complete with appropriate boots - has already traveled to Brazil to visit the farms of his in-laws. Whatever you decide to do next, Nathan, we wish you the very best!