Cycling, Jakobsen's desire for redemption: "Negative season, but now I dream of the Tour"

Rome, 18 December 2024 - Among the main disappointments of the season behind us is Fabio Jacobsen, one of those riders who never found his form from the end to the beginning of the year: there is only one victory on the record, obtained in the stage 4 of the Tour of Türkiye, but it is definitely too little to satisfy someone who has long been considered among the best sprinters of his generation.  

Jakobsen's statements

  Who knows, maybe the change of name of his team could break the spell, which in 2025 will pass by Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL a Picnic PostNL. Meanwhile, on the microphones of Daniel Benson, for the Dutch it is time to lick their wounds for what they did (or did not do) in 2024. "I feel responsible for the position I am in: I am the finisher and therefore I am the man responsible for getting the final result. I have done it in the past and I want to do it again in the future. I have been working since November and will continue to do so until March and then until Tour de France, which is my new big goal: in the meantime I will have to make a lot of progress and improve and I am motivated to do so". Self-criticism is not lacking in Jacobsen, a guy who has had to deal with very serious injuries and falls in his career: even the 96-born rider allows himself some mitigating circumstances. "This year hasn't been the best, but when you join a new team you always have to adapt and find your own way. We all expected more, but we weren't far from the result. We just wanted to be at the next level and compete everywhere to win, instead of just chasing results. However, I had to adapt to the new materials and the new training program. I had some small setbacks that in high-level sports can become something more, but I think the general level of cycling has also gone up. Everyone has improved and I will have to do the same, in addition to guiding the younger ones". Today, however, things are better. "The situation progressed at the end of the year, but we can still grow. I always give my all but it's not always enough, but I can say, looking at myself in the mirror, that I gave my all". And yet, the difficulties of Jacobsen, even in terms of physical fitness, have been clear since the dawn of 2024. " This year we missed the beginning a bit. I started well but without managing to win. Then at Giro d'Italia I wasn't at my best: I was always among the first to give up and never in the fight for victory. Tour de France instead I made progress: I changed my training, lost weight and gained concentration and next year I will have to start from there". Despite everything, Jacobsen he still believes he can return to the golden days. "I always enter races thinking of winning, but I have to get to the end in good condition and position. To do this, I want to start next season well and then win the Tour de France, the pinnacle of this sport."

Read also - Cycling, Rik Van Looy's career