Van den Broek reflects on dream year 2024: "When Adam Yates passed me, I couldn't believe my eyes at how fast he was going"

Jack Burke has been making headlines this fall. The Canadian cyclist has achieved impressive results on well-known Strava segments and remains focused on his ultimate goal: Making the professional team in the WorldTour. Someone who has already paved that path is the young Frank van den Broek, who made a name for himself in the Tour de France. The two reconnected on Burke's podcast to discuss Van den Broek’s breakthrough season.

The conversation centered on Van den Broek's rise to prominence. The 23-year-old neo-pro made waves by finishing second in his very first Tour de France stage, just behind teammate Romain Bardet, after a bold move in Italy. Now, Van den Broek has had time to reflect and recover from his first major season—and from an ear surgery. "I’ve had about three weeks off, and it’s given me time to process everything from this year," he said.

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Van den Broek in white at Tour

Van den Broek: "Bardet was really well prepared"

The world got its first glimpse of Van den Broek in the Tour of Turkey, where he secured the overall victory. But it was the Tour de France that introduced him to a wider audience as a versatile all-rounder. "We wanted to keep the yellow jersey and then go back to sprinting with Fabio Jakobsen. After a few days, I had less of a say in things," the Dutchman joked. "During that first stage, in the heat of the moment, it never occurred to me to overtake Romain."

"Romain wanted to be in the break—it was his big goal to contend for the win in the first weekend. It was definitely planned, but everything had to fall into place," Van den Broek explained. He admitted to looking up to his French teammate. "I think the weather worked in our favor. It was so hot that not everyone wanted to chase us down—UAE Team Emirates, for example, didn’t. That’s why it all came together, I think."

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Van den Broek won the Tour of Turkey.

Pace and racing style surprised Van den Broek: "Sometimes there just isn’t a break in the Tour'

The French three-week race was a revelation for Van den Broek, who had to adjust to the speed of the WorldTour peloton. "Sometimes it’s so fast, and you’re doing your best in a group trying to break away, but the peloton just stays 30 seconds behind the entire time," he said.

He got a true sense of how hard the top riders go during the Tour de Suisse. "I was at the front during a mountain stage, and then Adam Yates came flying past me. I couldn’t believe my eyes at how fast he was going," Van den Broek recalled.

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Van den Broek is still finalizing his plans. "We still have to discuss everything—my preparation and my program. I wouldn’t want to change much, to be honest. After last year, there wasn’t a lot that could’ve gone better. I just want to continue progressing the same way."