A talented climber, Henri reaffirmed his position in the U23 peloton, doubling-up on his Baby Giro podium from 2020 with a strong third place finish in 2021 after some brilliant riding by the team, before making the step up to the WorldTour with the Men’s program in 2022.
A Belgian, it is somewhat of a surprise that the only other person in his family who cycled was Henri’s brother, who introduced him to the sport. He played football and some athletics but that was only for one year and at the age of 12 he started at his local cycling club. He did try his hand at cyclocross too but after only three races Henri jokes, he knew road was the discipline for him and he’s not looked back since.
“I like to be in other countries, and you travel to places you might never see without cycling. Of course, there is also the social aspect too and I like going out with my friends, but equally I like working hard to be in good condition to compete at a high level.”
It’s from that intrinsic and extrinsic competition that Henri finds his biggest motivations, challenging himself to be better each day so he can be the best he can be.