Jeroen Eyskens is a professional cyclist who rides for the Irish EvoPro Racing team.
1- How did you prepare in these months to return to the races?
I just love to ride my bike, so it’s wasn’t really hard to stay motivated. Of course after a while when the races started back I got very hungry to do some nice races.
2- What are your goals for the next months of this 2020?
For the upcoming races I hope to have some nice results for myself and also for the team. We will hunt for at least one victory.
3- Do you already know which races you will participate in next?
I know I will ride Tour de Doubs on 6 September, other races I don’t know for the moment.
4- Where do you live?
I live in Belgium, Flanders. All the roads near to me are flat. But if I drive 1h30′ by car, I’m in the Ardennes where it’s more hilly. I almost go every week to do a nice training in the Ardennes.
5- What are your technical characteristics?
I’m more like an all-arounder, but I prefer hard races with some up and down.
6- How do you feel in the EvoPro Racing team?
EvoProRacing is a really nice team. We didn’t see each other a lot because of Covid-19, but we always stayed in contact every week. That’s really nice!
7- Can you tell me about your typical training day?
I mostly wake up around 7:00/7:30 a.m., later it is not possible, my dog always wants to wake me up 😁. Then I mostly eat some bread with banana. Around 10:00 a.m. I leave for training and afterwards I eat some oatmeal or something else with carbohydrates and proteins. And in the evening we just eat normal Belgian food like potatoes with chicken and broccoli. I mostly train on my own or for the longer rides I try to find a friend to join me. After training I just relax and play with my dog.
8- What do you like most and least about your job?
What I love the most about cycling is just the feeling to be outside and discover some new roads and countries, I prefer to do this in good weather 😛. There is actually not a lot that I don’t like about cycling. Maybe the only thing is racing in cold wet weather 🥶.
9- What is cycling teaching you?
Cycling teached me to never give up easy, always fight back and you will become the best of your self.
10- What is the most beautiful place you have “visited” during a cycling trip?
This summer I went to Alpes d’Huez for a small training camp, I think this was one of the nicest places I have ever been.
11- If you hadn’t become a professional cyclist what job would you have liked to do?
I love bikes and bike equipment so maybe that’s something I can do with after my cycling career.
12- What is your nickname in the peloton?
I don’t really have a nickname, but in the EvoPro team they call me the Belgian power horse.
13- Are you good at fixing your bicycle?
Mostly if something is needed to be fixed on my bike I first try to do it by myself. Most things I can fix on my own.
14- What is your favorite book, song, and dish?
I don’t really read that much, I only like to listen some music. I prefer some techno, deep house music. And of course spaghetti bolognese is one of my favorite meals.
15- Besides cycling, what are your biggest passions?
If I have some off bike time I love to go fishing, after the season I mostly go 10 days just in the wilderness and try to catch some nice big fish.
16- What was the best and the worst moment of your career so far?
My best moment was just starting with cycling, it was the best decision I ever could make. The worst situation was back in 2015 when I needed to have a surgery at my groin arteries, and also in 2017 I had the glandular fever. So two things I really had to come back from zero.
17- What is your dream for the future?
My dream is to stay as long as possible into cycling on a high level and of course to stay healthy.
18- Describe yourself with three adjectives.
Go getter, hard worker, enjoyer.
Thank you to Jeroen Eyskens.
Article edited by Pietro Fasola.
Traduzione in italiano: QUI
