Lennert Van Eetvelt Explained

Lennert Van Eetvelt
Birth Date:	17 July 2001
Birth Place:	Tienen, Belgium
Height:	1.75 m
Weight:	63 kg
Discipline:	Road
Role:	Rider
Ridertype:	Climber
Amateuryears1:	2018
Amateurteam1:	Wim Ruelens Olympia Tienen
Amateuryears2:	2019
Amateurteam2:	Brain² Olympia Tienen
Amateuryears3:	2020–2022
Amateurteam3:	^[1]
Proyears1:	2023–
Majorwins:	Stage races Tour of Guangxi (2024) UAE Tour (2024)

Lennert Van Eetvelt (born 17 July 2001) is a Belgian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam .^[2] ^[3]

Career

Early years

Van Eetvelt started cycling when he was 8 or 9 years old.^[4] As a junior rider, he finished third in the Aubel–Thimister–Stavelot and eighth in the Course de la Paix Juniors, before being recruited by, the development program for UCI ProTeam, in 2020. The following year, he was crowned the Belgian under-23 time trial champion.^[5] In 2022, he showed strength in stage races, winning the Course de la Paix U23 – Grand Prix Jeseníky and finishing runner-up in the Giro Ciclistico d'Italia and the Tour Alsace. In April, he also finished second to Romain Grégoire in the single-day Liège–Bastogne–Liège Espoirs.

Professional career

Van Eetvelt stepped up to in 2023.^[6] In his first week racing as a professional, Van Eetvelt took two podium finishes in the Challenge Mallorca, finishing second in the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana and third in the Trofeo Andratx–Mirador D'es Colomer. In March, he took part in his first UCI World Tour level event, finishing 15th overall in the Volta a Catalunya. In April, he competed in the La Flèche Wallonne, finishing 22nd. He then won the Alpes Isère Tour in May while riding down a level with the development squad, taking solo victories on the last two stages.^[7] He took his first pro level win on stage two of the Sibiu Cycling Tour in July. He entered his first Grand Tour: the Vuelta a España in August. On stage 14, he placed third, having been part of the breakaway, followed by a 4th place on the penultimate stage, again being part of the breakaway.^[8]

On January 26, 2024, he won the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana, part of the Challenge Mallorca, beating Aleksandr Vlasov and Brandon McNulty in a three-way sprint.^[7] On February 25, he won the final stage solo at the top of Jebel Hafeet and took the general classification of the UAE Tour, his first victory in a UCI World Tour race.^[9]