Frits Biesterbos: Embracing the step from Club level to World Tour

It wasn’t long ago that Frits found himself at a crossroads (pardon the pun), where after his time mostly spent on a mountain bike during his U23 period, he was left without a team. A reach-out to BEAT Cycling saw him sign a stagiaire contract, and then a deal which saw him race for them in 2025; a season where he would come onto Team Picnic PostNL’s, and later a large part of the peloton’s, radar.

A remarkable second at the Gravel World Championships saw the interest in Frits’ talents skyrocket, but the Apeldoorn-native had made up his mind already, he wanted to ride for Team Picnic PostNL.

Now, three months into his time as a World Tour rider after his fast ascent from Club level rider in the middle of 2024, to where he is now in 2026, we wanted to catch up with Frits to find out how he is handling the transition; and reflect a bit on his good start to the season.

Welcoming faces and training camps

Like all new squad members, Frits came to the team’s HQ in Deventer in October for a variety of introductions, bike and clothing fittings, and to get to experience and meet riders and staff that he would soon call his teammates.

“I was together with Timo [de Jong] on those days so that was nice to get to know him. It was already very exciting because it was all new: new people, new places, new things to do.”

From settling in quickly, it wasn’t long until Frits was on a plane to the Mediterranean coast and the cycling mecca that is Calpe for December training camp.

“I was really curious to see how everything went during that training camp. I had done some with BEAT of course, but I wanted to see what was different – and that was mostly just there were a lot more of everything at WorldTour. There were more mechanics to help, coaches on hand, soigneurs for the massages in the evening and we had our own cook to make us the food.

“It was also the more chilled of the camps, so it was really relaxed and a warm welcome. I could get to know some of the other riders better and speak to some of the staff too.”

Coming out of December camp, Frits was feeling good in his new environment and could see that in his training numbers which were “on schedule” so he was excited to put that into action in January.

“I heard from the guys in December that January camp was more intense, with 20-minute tests, lactate tests and so on. I was intrigued to see where I stood and my numbers were better than last January so that is always nice. The camp also meant I could grow closer to the team a bit more during the week, which I think is also important.”

Scratching that racing itch and wanting more

It wasn’t too long after January camp ended that Frits was travelling once more, this time to the AlUla Tour where he would pin on his numbers for the first time with Team Picnic PostNL. Having experienced Pro level races with BEAT, there were still a few things that surprised Frits about doing it with a WorldTour team.

“You seem to get a lot more room in the peloton when you’re a WorldTour rider compared to if you’re a Continental rider, so that was an improvement already,” he jokes.

“Obviously I was a bit nervous beforehand, I wanted to do well and impress, but it went well and I think we had a good week with Bjorn and then a bit of a surprise when I got the podium place on stage four.”

“That confirmed to me and the team that I am capable of riding the sprints in harder finales and stages, so in the following races I was given more of a role as the sprint finisher.”

Leaving AlUla Tour, Frits headed back to Europe where he took on two French races and at the Classic Var had his first taste of “disappointment” when he finished in seventh place. On paper, a result that was impressive as it was Frits’ first 1.1 level top ten finish, but it is testament to his driven character that he had hoped for more.

“I felt that we could have got a big result over there because I had a fast sprint that day and we had a good lead-out, but I got blocked in the final few hundred metres. I think the disappointment is good because it shows desire to be better, and it also confirmed to me that we are working in a good way and that those finishes can suit me. So, some things to learn and do better next time.”

Experiencing the Belgian one-day racing chaos

For quite a lot of traditional cycling fans, the season doesn’t really start until Opening Weekend, where if you were glued to your television on Sunday afternoon, you would have witnessed Frits stomping on the pedals in the break at Kuurne. Experiencing the cobbled roads and climbs for the first time was a bit of an eye-opener for Frits, and he was glad to be out front.

“The plan was to get someone in the break, and I managed to be in there, with the idea of getting over the climbs and cobbles, and then to be there in the final if the peloton caught us.

“Racing on those roads was all new to me so it was good to spend the day in the break because it was more relaxed as the group was smaller, than in the nervous peloton behind.

“It was a hard race all day though because of the side winds and echelons, and I unfortunately got dropped at 30 kilometres to go.”

Delving a bit deeper when asked if there was anything that he learned from that day, the ever reflective and analytical Frits pondered:

“Probably my positioning in the peloton. When we got caught it then relaxed for a bit before splitting once more, and I did a few big pulls to bring the group with Pavel back which worked out, but I burned too many matches there. Then afterwards I was needing to recover so positioned myself at the back of the group and it went full-gas in the gutter again and I was dropped. Looking back, if I could do the race again, I would have played the game a bit more and tried to let others do the work to bring the groups back together and then have positioned myself further forwards.”

With Le Samyn and Nokere Koerse behind him, and Bredene Koksijde on the calendar this week too, Frits is gaining valuable experience in those hectic race situations, something which should help shape him as a racer for the coming years, as he reminds us that he’s still “pretty new to road racing.”

Racing on Dutch roads, upcoming challenges and always learning

Extending his time in Belgium, Frits is excited to soon get the taste of WorldTour racing with some more cobbled classics on his plan, before returning to the Netherlands for a few hillier races.

“It will be a bit easier for me I think because I know the roads better, and for example, I did the Volta NXT last year so I know that I can survive the parcours.

“The upcoming period for me will be part of a longer process with the team, where I can gain experience, learn from the coaches and other riders in the World Tour races, and then aim to put that into practice in the .1 or .Pro level races I do. Hopefully we can also pick up a few nice results there.”

It’s clear when speaking to Frits that he is a driven individual that always wants to keep challenging himself and pushing to be better and improve. So, with that in mind and the large jump he’s already made in the past 18 months, we also wanted to find out what he can learn from the team, or where he can take advantage of the experts, coaches and staff to further improve.

“To be honest, I think the answer is quite a lot,” he laughs.

“One thing that does come to mind is working on my food intake both in and outside of races. Particularly inside races, as I struggle to eat and drink enough, but I’m currently getting help with that from one of the team nutritionists, Emily, and that’s already improving. So, bit-by-bit we hope to make steps there too as you also need to train for that.”

“For the rest, I think it’s just about doing everything a bit better with the team and the support they can give me – so my training and recovery, but also what I can learn tactically from races.”

“It’s been quite a rollercoaster period for the last 12 months to reach the highest level of the sport, but I’m enjoying being here and in the team environment. It’s a big step, but I’m having fun and learning a lot. I don’t think I would believe you if you said 12 months ago this is where I would be.”

Not resting on his laurels

A smart, intelligent and driven guy who is eager to learn and willing to throw himself in at the deep end and do his best for and with the team; Frits has the character and will to continue to improve and push not only himself but also those around him.

The next three months will be all about continuing to gain experience and learn from the team environment, soak in all the knowledge he can from the team’s staff and his teammates and be willing to make mistakes so that he can learn and grow.

“If we do this again in three months’ time, hopefully we can talk about some more nice results together, particularly if that could be a podium somewhere. Overall, I think it will be a period of learning a lot, being there in more finals and doing my best for the team.”

With how he has performed and adapted in his time with us so far, we’re excited to support Frits as he continues to make those next steps, in what is still the very early stages of an exciting journey together.