Hailing from the town of Franeker in the Dutch province of Friesland, Jurgen is a new recruit to the team’s Development program having rode for Willebrord Wl Vooruit Juniors in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.  

 Making his mark as a young climbing talent, Jurgen went somewhat viral at the start of 2024 where on a training camp with his team at the time, he set a very respectable time on the famous Coll de Rates climb, earning him a top ten spot on the leaderboard amongst some esteemed company.  

 Climbing to new heights, Jurgen overcame some setbacks throughout the year and was able to produce some strong results such as third place in the Dutch national championships behind now-teammate Ko [Molenaar], two stage wins and the overall title at Volta a Portugal and an impressive eighth place at the World Championships. 

 However, cycling wasn’t originally Jurgen’s passion as the Friesland-native, like many in his region, put on the blades and competed in speed skating as a youngster. Also trying his hand (or should we say feet) at football, it was a combination of his dad and Dutch cycling legend Tom Dumoulin who inspired Jurgen to swap two skates for two wheels. 

 “I first started watching cycling around the time that Tom won the Giro, and I really admired the way he and the team rode. My dad at the time was also doing triathlon so I thought I would give the cycling part a go and things went from there.” 

Not looking back, the softly spoken but considered Jurgen has quietly made his way through the ranks since then and is aiming to continue to make steps with the Development program in the coming years.  

“I want to see what I am capable of as a rider and make some improvements. I think stage races might suit me, but I also am excited to try other race types too. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can achieve with the team.” 

Reflecting on his time as a rider so far, the still-young Jurgen appears to have a mature head on his shoulders and tries not to be affected too much by the ups and downs of bike racing and all that it entails.  

“Ahead of Aubel-Stavelot in 2024 I was really motivated for a good result and put some pressure on myself, so I trained a bit too hard which meant I was cooked going into the race. I learnt from that and in Portugal I didn’t put as much pressure on myself and was confident in my abilities and the work I did, and that paid off really well.” 

Jurgen is a fan of all things Italy, whether that be the stunning scenery around Como or his favourite race of Il Lombardia – you might even catch him perfecting his “simple but tasty” mozzarella pizza recipe in his downtime. If not, then he’s just a normal teenager who enjoys going to the movies or eating out at nice restaurants with his friends.