| Fullname | Jan Bakelants |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 14 February 1986 (age 40) |
| Birth place | Oudenaarde, Flanders, Belgium |
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 67 kg (148 lb; 10.6 st) |
| Currentteam | Retired |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Ridertype | Puncheur |
| Amateuryears 1 | 2006–2008 |
| Amateurteam 1 | Beveren 2000 |
| Amateuryears 2 | 2008 |
| Amateurteam 2 | (stagiaire) |
| Proyears 1 | 2009 |
| Proyears 2 | 2010–2011 |
| Proyears 3 | 2012–2013 |
| Proteam 3 | [1] |
| Proyears 4 | 2014 |
| Proyears 5 | 2015–2018 |
| Proyears 6 | 2019 |
| Proteam 6 | [2] |
| Proyears 7 | 2020–2022 |
| Proteam 7 | [3][4] |
| Majorwins |
|
Jan Bakelants (born 14 February 1986) is a Belgian former professional road racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2009 to 2022.
Career
His major wins include the 2008 Tour de l'Avenir and stage 2 of the 2013 Tour de France, claiming the yellow jersey after winning the stage by only a second of an advantage on the peloton after a late attack.[5] He also rode the 2010 Giro d'Italia, in which he finished 36th.
Bakelants left at the end of the 2013 season, and joined for the 2014 season.[6] In August 2014, it was announced that he would be leaving after one year and joining on an initial two-year deal.[7]
Ahead of the 2017 Tour de France Bakelants faced criticism for remarks he made that were deemed sexist. In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws he was asked if it was difficult to go without sex for three weeks during a grand tour. He jokingly answered that there were podium girls after all and he would make sure to pack condoms. This prompted Tour director Christian Prudhomme to demand a public apology, which Bakelants delivered on social media.[8]
Bakelants was severely injured in a crash at the 2017 Giro di Lombardia when he crashed into a ravine on a fast descent, fracturing seven ribs and the first and third vertebrae. He did not lose consciousness and was transferred to the hospital in Como.[9] The crash left Bakelants 1 centimetre (0.39 inches) shorter.[10] After his crash, Bakelants spoke out about safety standards in cycling. He hoped to return to racing in March 2018,[11] and did so at the Classic Loire Atlantique in France.
After one year with Team Sunweb in 2019 he spent the last three years of his professional career with Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux, where he also won his last professional race with stage 5 of the 2022 Tour de Wallonie. Bakelants announced his retirement on 24 December 2022 after a non-amicable split from his last team. He felt the way he was treated by management, especially Aike Visbeek, didn't reflect the work he put in to help the team establish themselves on the World Tour.[12][13]
Bakelants is married to Daphne Hofmans and they have two daughters and two sons.[14]
Major results
- 2006
- 10th Liège–Bastogne–Liège Espoirs
- 2007
- 3rd Paris–Tours Espoirs
- 2008
- 1st Overall Tour de l'Avenir
- 1st Stage 6
- 1st Overall Circuit des Ardennes
- 1st Overall Tour de Liège
- 1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège Espoirs
- 1st Flèche Ardennaise
- 2nd Overall Le Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux
- 2nd Grand Prix de Waregem
- 3rd Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships
- 4th Overall Tour des Pyrénées
- 4th Circuit de Wallonie
- 8th Overall Circuit Franco-Belge
- 9th Overall Giro delle Regioni
- 2009
- 2nd GP Triberg-Schwarzwald
- 5th De Vlaamse Pijl
- 7th Le Samyn
- 9th Overall Eneco Tour
- 10th Overall Tour of Belgium
- 10th Overall Ster Elektrotoer
- 2010
- 6th Overall Tour de Wallonie
- 7th Trofeo Inca
- 10th Clásica de Almería
- 2012
- 4th Road race, National Road Championships
- 5th Grand Prix de Wallonie
- 6th Overall Tour Down Under
- 6th Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
- 10th Overall Eneco Tour
- 2013
- 1st Grand Prix de Wallonie
- Tour de France
- 1st Stage 2
- Held after Stages 2 & 3
- 2nd Amstel Curaçao Race
- National Road Championships
- 3rd Road race
- 4th Time trial
- 3rd Overall Tour de Luxembourg
- 4th Overall Eneco Tour
- 4th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton
- 7th Overall Tour of Beijing
- 10th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 2014
- 1st Stage 6 Critérium du Dauphiné
- 3rd Grand Prix de Wallonie
- 7th La Drôme Classic
- 2015
- 1st Giro dell'Emilia
- 1st Gran Piemonte
- 2nd Grand Prix de Wallonie
- 4th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 6th Overall Critérium International
- 7th Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
- 7th Coppa Sabatini
- 2016
- 2nd La Drôme Classic
- 3rd Overall La Méditerranéenne
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Stage 4
- 5th Giro dell'Emilia
- 6th Coppa Sabatini
- 8th Overall Tour La Provence
- 9th Classic Sud-Ardèche
- 2017
- 3rd La Drôme Classic
- 4th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 5th Grand Prix de Wallonie
- 2018
- 6th Grand Prix Pino Cerami
- 2019
- 5th Overall ZLM Tour
- 2020
- 4th Road race, National Road Championships
- 6th Overall Tour de Luxembourg
- 9th Trofeo Matteotti
- 2022
- 1st Stage 5 Tour de Wallonie
Grand Tour results timeline
| Grand Tour general classification results timeline[15] | |||||||||||||
| Grand Tour | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giro d'Italia | 36 | 22 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | — | — | |
| Tour de France | — | — | — | 18 | 24 | 20 | 50 | 22 | — | — | — | 48 | |
| Vuelta a España | 18 | 31 | 22 | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | |
References
- ^ "RadioShack-Nissan-Trek announces lineup for 2012". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc.. 5 December 2011. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- ^ "Team Sunweb confirm 2019 men's and women's rosters". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ "Bakelants signs with Circus-Wanty Gobert-Tormans". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived 3 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ Pete, Cossins (30 June 2013). "Bakelants' luck is finally as good as his legs at Tour de France". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ "OPQS Signs Bakelants for 2014". Decolef. 28 September 2013. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "Bakelants confirms move to AG2R-La Mondiale". cyclingnews.com. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- ^ "Sexismus-Skandal vor Tour-Beginn" (in German). sport1.de. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ Adams, Tom (8 October 2017). "Jan Bakelants and Simone Petilli are in hospital after crashing on dangerous Il Lombardia descent". Eurosport. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ "Bakelants 1cm shorter after Il Lombardia crash | Cyclingnews". 31 January 2018.
- ^ "Bakelants: Chris Froome is going to be suspended and that will be right". 4 January 2018.
- ^ "Bakelants greift Intermarché und Visbeek an" (in German). radsport-news.com. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ "Transferticker Dezember" (in German). radsport-news.com. 31 December 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ "Jan Bakelants (39) is voor de vierde keer vader geworden" (in Dutch). wielerplaza.be. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ "Jan Bakelants"