Visma | Lease a Bike talent leaves road cycling behind: "I want to shine on the mountain bike in Los Angeles"
CyclingTuesday, 19 November 2024 at 11:26
A surprising departure from the development team of Visma | Lease a Bike. Tom Schellekens, who competed in numerous under-23 races last season, is turning his focus entirely to mountain biking, officially leaving his road cycling career behind. This was announced by his new team in a press release published Tuesday afternoon. Schellekens will fully commit to a mountain biking career with the KMC Ridley Mountainbike Racing Team.
Bart Brentjens, who oversees the sports side of the team, is delighted with Schellekens’ arrival. "We are happy Tom will join our team for the next years. Working towards participation in the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 as his highest goal, is exactly the ambition that we look for in our riders. I am confident that Tom can become an Olympic athlete and develop into one of the best mountain bikers worldwide."
Read more below the photo.
Tom Schellekens, in archive image
Schellekens bids road cycling convincing farewell: "This is the right team for me now"
Schellekens didn’t achieve standout results but did compete in a fair number of under-23 races in 2024. He finished fourth in a stage of the Circuit des Ardennes and raced in the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège for under-23s. On the road, he also posed a threat in time trials. Nevertheless, the 21-year-old departing from Visma | Lease a Bike is confident in his decision to leave road racing behind.
"I am very happy and proud to be part of the KMC Ridley Mountainbike Racing Team. It gives me a lot of confidence and I am sure that this is the right team for me! I am really looking forward to riding the whole UCI World Series program and pursuing my biggest goal, LA2028," he said. He might even line up alongside Mathieu van der Poel, who is also aiming to focus on mountain biking again.
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Latest Comments
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024