Hailing from Tilburg in the Netherlands, Bram is a fresh face to the team in 2024 has progressed through the Pro Contintental ranks to the WorldTour and alongside picking up some solid results himself, he has proven himself to be an adept lead-out rider, helping his sprint finishers to multiple wins in his career so far.
It seemed that becoming a cyclist was almost inevitable for young Bram and we can definitely say that he comes from a cycling family. His uncle on his mum’s side is multiple Grand Tour stage winner Jean-Paul van Poppel, with his cousins being current fellow professional cyclists in the shape of Danny and Boy van Poppel.
“My dad also was a racer until he was around 23 and my parents actually met at a bike race, so the sport is basically in my blood.”
Bram did try other sports as a youngster though and gave football a go for a year, but he jokes that it wasn’t for him and the only thing that he was good at was the “running all day” bit. Using that endurance ability, he has since dedicated his life to cycling and enjoys multiple things about the sport.
“On training rides, you get to see a lot of wherever you go, compared to football where you are only on one pitch. I also like the mental freedom cycling brings, you don’t think too much, you just focus on enjoying being on the bike.”
Someone that is motivated by “getting better every day”, Bram enjoys seeing the progress in his numbers and is more of a regimented trainer, preferring to stick to his zones and what has been planned as he’s not someone who “gets better from doing all these races in training”.
It’s no surprise that two of the words he uses to describe himself are “disciplined” and “serious”, but from his demeanour and outgoing character, he also brings balance to that with a more relaxed and sociable vibe; something which he thinks will bring value to the group.
Being critical of himself, one thing he wants to improve on in the coming years is being able to enjoy the moment and the successes as they come.
“Just now when I achieve something, I’m happy for a short period but then I’m always immediately looking ahead to the next goals or the next day. I want to be able to do both; enjoy things more but still be focused on what’s next.”
Forming part of the sprint group within the team, Bram is aiming to use the experience he’s gained so far while also learning from those around him and grow even more into the role of lead-out, something that he likes.
“I like the idea of building a proper team and having a good feeling where you have guys who give everything for each other; that is something special. If I do a good lead-out and the sprinter finishes it off, then that gives me the same feeling as winning myself.”
Off the bike, Bram’s self-appointed hidden talent is that he’s a good cook and he often enjoys spending his time whipping up a storm in the kitchen, with a good curry his speciality dish. Away from that, he enjoys passing time riding his motorbike, making good coffee, or putting his feet up to watch the latest sporting documentary series.