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Jasper Stuyven will probably never be as successful or famous in Flanders as Remco Evenepoel or Wout van Aert, but that is not a problem for the chocolate loving Classics rider from Leuven. Stuyven is his own man; carving out his own career with victories at Milan-San Remo, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and elsewhere, all while being true to himself.
Stuyven is talented, intelligent and one of the most respected riders in the WorldTour peloton. Just don’t ask him a dumb question when he’s just lost a chance of a stage victory at the Tour de France or in a Classic. That is when his determination to win emerges and no media training or tongue-biting diplomacy can hold him back.
He has famously given Flemish journalists both barrels on several occasions.
“I get told that I should show respect and that I should do some media training, but I am who I am and I’ll always be authentic,” Stuyven says with pride in a joint interview with Cyclingnews and Velonews.
“I am not going to apologise when I’m really disappointed. At that point, so soon after a race finish, it’s me, it’s a raw Jasper, I’m not going to apologise for that or fake it and risk being told I’m a fake. If the media asks a stupid question, or phrase it wrong, then I think a rider can lose their temper. And on the other hand, that’s also the beauty of the sport, that we are approachable immediately after a finish. People get to see what we are really like.”
Speaking his mind about Evenepoel and Van Aert
In 2021, when Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert faltered and fell out at the World Championships at home in Belgium, Stuyven showed his talent and character yet again. He came from the main chase group to finish fourth behind Julian Alaphilippe and the other medal winners, saving the home nation’s pride and producing a performance he could be proud of.
Evenepoel and Van Aert could not say the same and when their spat went public, Stuyven again stood up and was not afraid to call out the young Belgian or express his disappointment in Van Aert. It was another show of character.
“I think we all soon realised that we could only lose that day, there was so much hype and expectation before the race. It was a disappointment for Belgium and also for me to not be on the podium, but looking back now, I think it was one of my most beautiful days on the bike,” Stuyven says of 2021, when he savoured rather than suffered in his home World Championships.
“Wout and Remco are two of the best riders in…
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