Thomas De Gendt: alternative Belgian who liked the perfect breakaway much more than a GC

The Giro of 2012 is a crazy one. For nearly three weeks, the pink round has been a duel between a Canadian late bloomer, who is crazy on his bike and has to limit the damage behind a Spanish jumper each time. Ryder Hesjedal and Joaquim Rodríguez consistently give each other very little ground. Hesjedal gambles on the time trials, while Rodríguez gathers seconds on the uphill arrivals. The shuffle continues. And then it's time for stage 20.

May 26, 2012, a terrible mountain stage awaits the riders on the second-to-last day of the Giro. At that point, Thomas De Gendt is in the second half of the top ten of the GC, 5.40 minutes behind the leader's jersey, more or less by accident. He attacks and ends up in the early breakaway of the day. On the Mortirolo, he gets a big push from teammate Matteo Carrara. Go, Thomas. And Thomas went...

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De Gendt, born in Sint-Niklaas (Belgium), turned pro in 2006 with the small Unibet-Davo. It was not a top-level team, and it took some time for the Belgian time trialist to get his foot in the door. But there are some early successes. In 2007, Thuringia Rundfahrt, for example, won a stage after a sprint from a small group. More names at the top? Among others, Tony Gallopin and Steven Kruijswijk are two strong peers.

Since 2008, the victory counter kept running, and it is immediately apparent that with De Gendt, the Belgians have a solid all-rounder. He wins sprint classifications in the oddest places, such as the Algarve, on behalf of his new team, Topsport Vlaanderen. Because of his versatility, he transferred to Vacansoleil-DCM, a team allowed to go to grand tours with wildcards. He ends up in a group with Lieuwe Westra and Johnny Hoogerland, among others. It was later described as a group of friends where De Gendt was perhaps at his best.

So, what did De Gendt gain from the transfer? A lot. Vacansoleil started in races that his former, smaller teams did not compete in. He was granted plenty of freedom. The result was that the Belgian all-rounder increasingly chose his days better and could cycle to brilliant victories. In Paris-Nice 2011, he stayed ahead of a peloton full of top sprinters in the opening stage and raced to yellow. In the Tour of Switzerland, three months later, he rode solo to victory again on a mountain stage, well ahead of the then-tenacious Andy Schleck.

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Starting in 2011, the cycling world became increasingly familiar with De Gendt's shenanigans: planned breakaways, a seemingly endless energy tank on his best days, always that solo, and always that impeccably timed acceleration. Breakaway groups with De Gendt in them became arduous ventures—not because of an approaching peloton but because the colorful De Gendt triumphed more often than not when he was present.

We recorded five stage victories in the Tour of Catalonia in the many years that followed, starting in 2013, almost all of them solo. With a peloton lagging behind in frustration, breakaway riders losing out, or GC riders failing to close the gap on the daredevil. The result of the 2016 stage to Port Ainé is exemplary. Thomas De Gendt. Then, nothing for a long time. Then Nairo Quintana, Richie Porte, and Alberto Contador were world-class riders at the time. De Gendt was a silent killer.

In almost every other major one-week stage race, De Gendt attacked in characteristic fashion. Romandie, Paris-Nice twice, Dauphiné, Switzerland. Everywhere, in every season, there was an actual De Gendt day. His wins had a fixed recipe and a strong character. There were increasingly more of them, and they became distinctive. Moreover, De Gendt loved mountain climbs on the seven-day tours. No fewer than eight times, he won that secondary classification.

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It was apparent by now. De Gendt had an instinct for the breakaway and could dig unbelievably deep into his reserves on his days. That combination resulted in the most heroic stage victories. Slowly but surely, he began to profit more and more from the big tours. Twice, he succeeded on the biggest stage of all: the Tour. A stage victory on Mont Ventoux was textbook De Gendt. Also, in the Vuelta, he succeeded in a transition stage to Gijón.

Perhaps the most stunning victory was in the 2019 Tour. Terrain: Massif Central. Arrival point: Saint Étienne. A stage with a distinctive profile. Up, down, and only up and down. Throughout the race, the peloton contained the breakaway, which included De Gendt, in close range. It became a battlefield. Julian Alaphilippe had his top form, and Thibaut Pinot was also good that day. At the front, only De Gendt was still riding.

And De Gendt was beyond grasp. He had about six seconds left on the GC riders, led by the two Frenchmen. All day, the man on the attack proved capable of keeping the fittest pack behind him. De Gendt was one of the few who could do this. He was able to do so in the Giro of 2022. He defeated Mathieu van der Poel, among others, from the breakaway. But by now the years had caught up with the relentless Belgian.

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Back to May 26, 2012. Thomas De Gendt went solo from the breakaway, heading for an achievement that would define his career in more ways than one. Virtual pink, more than a five-minute lead. On the Stelvio, he kept going in a focused manner, which also caused the last breakaway companion, Mikel Nieve, to fail. Three kilometers before the end, the Giro suddenly becomes a three-way battle. Rodríguez and Hesjedal are still looking at each other on the monster climb. And De Gendt just keeps on riding and riding and riding and without intent, heading for the Giro victory. Right?

The Belgians are going crazy in their commentary booth. In the end, the fairy tale is just not magical enough. De Gendt wins the stage in a way that is a great rarity in the 2010s. But he is two minutes shy of taking the Giro lead. The Spaniard and Canadian come in at more than three minutes exhausted. But they have enough left. In the final time trial, it becomes clear that De Gendt will finish third. It was a bizarre, unthinkable achievement the morning before. Celebrations in Belgium. So, is this the successor to the illustrious, almost ancient Belgian all-rounders in grand tours?

The answer, in retrospect, of course, is no. De Gendt became a stage hijacker and not a GC man. But what if he could have won the Giro of 2012? It's hard to imagine then that the rock-solid Belgian would be a classic one-hit wonder in the stage races. In the 2012 Vuelta, he still tried, but then the realization hit home. The temperamental man didn't want to hurt himself for three weeks for sixth place or perhaps another podium. That gave discomfort and a lack of freedom. Something that didn't outweigh free racing and unconcerned breakaway attempts. Later, he indicated that the mindless ride on the Giro took him to great heights. Just nice racing. That third place? It was more or less a coincidence.

And it was precisely that switch in mindset that brought De Gendt his countless, often brilliant solo victories. He couldn't live like a monk for three weeks. Instead, give his all for a few days and seek glory in distant places. This is how we say goodbye to Thomas De Gendt, a fascinating, headstrong rider with many memories of raising his hands in the air after yet another magnificent victory, which will always remain everlasting.

All the best to you, Thomas!