Robbe Dhondt

Not from a cycling family, Robbe got into cycling more through chance than anything else. Initially he was a runner, with a lot of success too, which included the Belgian title at his age level. Yet, after suffering from an injury he looked for another sport and naturally…in Belgium…found cycling.  

He was already somewhat a fan of the sport, watching cyclocross with Sven Nys one of his early idols, who “crushed it in the mud.” From there, Robbe started following road racing as well as he began competing, mixing both disciplines himself and eventually moving up the ranks to where he is now, as after spending two seasons with the Development program, 2025 sees Robbe make the step-up to the Men’s program. 

“When I started cycling, I think every little guy who watched the TV has their dreams of being between those guys and turning pro once day, so it’s a dream come true, but now it’s happening you look forward to the next steps and goals.” 

Robbe has had more than his fair share of bad luck due to illness or injury in his two years competing with the Development program, but the young Belgian takes a pragmatic and very mature outlook from that.   

“The lows will make the highs better. You must keep fighting, remain motivated and be disciplined. Things could have gone better of course, but you can still learn a lot from everything you go through, and it’s been good to have the two years with the Development program. Now I want to get better and learn even more from the other guys.” 

Having already taken part in Brabantse Pijl, Tour of the Alps, Tour de Hongrie and Baloise Belgium Tour alongside the Men’s program, Robbe has had a taste of higher-level racing and although he was initially unsure of how he would perform, he found the transition okay, only that “everything was just a bit harder, the races longer and things more intense.”   

In fact, Robbe was pleasantly surprised at how things went with Tour of the Alps a particular highlight. Going into it Robbe was a bit apprehensive due to it being one of the hardest stage races he had competed in by that point, and he was even unsure if he would make the time cut. However, he far exceeded his own expectations and could fulfil his role at the race well and took confidence from hearing encouragement from those around him. 

Robbe comes across as a very considered young man who has a sense of maturity about him that belies his age, and it is this thoughtfulness and introspected reflection which should help him to continue to take further steps in his career. 

Looking ahead to the coming years with the team, he hopes for more consistent racing and training and most definitely “less bad luck.” Robbe takes confidence from watching the guys who are a little bit older than him, such as Oscar [Onley] and Max [Poole], who themselves have come back from challenging periods and continued to make steps. While equally he hopes to learn from the more experienced riders too. 

“I think it’s great in the team as we have a nice mix of young guys who all get on well and keep each other motivated, and some more experienced guys that can keep us all calm and level-headed.”