Christiaan vanRees

Born in the scenic and picturesque Dutch village of Groot-Ammers in the South Holland region of the country, Christiaan got into cycling through his dad – who himself competed in the lower levels of Dutch racing.  

Beginning with mountain biking at around the age of five, road racing and cyclocross soon became a part of Christiaan’s armada and he continued to compete in all three throughout the youth categories, before focusing on road in 2024 when he made the step-up to the U23 level with Dutch Food Valley Cycling Team. 

It wasn’t always all about cycling; Christiaan did play football regularly too as a kid but with the volume of training increasing for both, he eventually had to make a choice, and he decided to go all-in on cycling.  

“I really like that in cycling that you go to different places every weekend, it’s not the same as football where you are on one pitch for the whole game. I’m also more of a sprinter so I really enjoy the adrenaline and speed that comes with that too.” 

There is no doubt that Christiaan is a fiercely competitive individual who wants to get the most out of himself and those around him. That translates to all walks of life, whether that be during one of his favourite past times of playing EAFC on the console, or if he’s on the local padel courts with his friends for an off-season hit around, he is motivated by “winning”.  

“It’s nice to see improvements in my data and things like that, but it’s the winning feeling that is the reason why I love anything to do with sports and especially cycling.” 

It’s no surprise then that two words Christiaan uses to describe himself are “energetic” and “sporty”, but the quietly spoken Dutchman also says he’s a bit of an “introvert” and that it can take some time for him to come out of his shell. 

Through his time with Dutch Food Valley Cycling Team and the collaboration that they have with the team, Christiaan has already been to team camp in 2024 with the Development program and has raced alongside quite a few of the guys already; something that makes it “a bit easier for” him as he formally joins the squad. 

“One thing that stood out with me in those races is that the team always had a plan, and we rode as a group to carry out that plan. I really like that approach.” 

Looking ahead, Christiaan hopes that those plans lead to good results with the team and that he can continue to make steps and improve as a rider.  

“I think the ultimate goal and dream, like all of the guys in the Development program, is to then turn pro in the future.”