Fresh out of the junior ranks, Ryan makes the step up to the U23 bunch with the Development program for 2024. A strong and competent rider in the juniors, Ryan made steady progress throughout his two seasons in the U19 ranks with the Dutch national time trial win his crowning glory in the 2023 campaign.
It seemed like Ryan was always destined to become a cyclist with both of his parents competing in the sport at various levels, with his mum the more serious competitor at a younger age before Ryan’s dad took it up a bit later. As he was growing up, Ryan has some fond memories of being sat at the side of the road behind the barriers cheering on his dad and has been hooked on the sport ever since.
Despite his mum being a track cycling trainer and Ryan doing a few sessions and races on the boards, it was road that was his main focus. Like most Dutch kids he had sports classes at school and occasionally did running in winter, but it is cycling that holds his heart and mind.
“When I’m on the bike it doesn’t feel too special in the moment but when I’m then off of it, I get the feeling of really wanting to go back on and ride again – it’s addicting.”
Looking ahead to his time with the Development program Ryan is well aware of the challenges that he faces and knows that he “has a lot of work to do”, but he’s also really excited to get stuck in and the “whole different game” where he wants to continue to “make steps in the right direction.”
Starry-eyed and a big-dreamer, Ryan doesn’t know where his future will lie but he has one big goal at the end: to ride the Tour de France someday.
“To ride the Tour de France one day is a dream goal. I don’t care if I am there as a GC rider or as a bottle carrier and worker; it would just be super special to be there.”
He’s joining some familiar faces in the Development program with Mees [Vlot] and Thom [van der Werff] both coming from the same junior team and Ryan thinks that will help him settle in. Although already in 2023, he spoke to quite a few of the guys in the team, so he’s just excited for the “new environment.”
Describing himself as “reserved”, “good-tempered” and “inquisitive”, Ryan is someone that needs to be more comfortable in a situation to be able to speak more and gaining that confidence is something he hopes he can get from being in the team, alongside some good legs he jokes. He also adds that he’s a bit of a perfectionist and it’s something that he thinks pushes him to be better, but he does admit it can be a bit annoying at times for those around him.
“I’m quite a perfectionist so I’m always looking for that one thing to be just a bit better, so for example, I never give my training a perfect score out of 10 because I always feel like there’s something more to get.”
It’s when he’s not riding that his inquisitive side comes through, and he enjoys spending time with his dad building up old bikes and learning all about the mechanics of them. If not, you also might find him sat in front of his TV or laptop, engrossed in older cycling documentaries, learning about the heroic tales of the past at the biggest races as he dreams of being that person one day too.