As a cyclist, Jeroen Blijlevens achieved wonderful victories in the largest cycling tours in the world. After his career as a sprinter, he exchanged the bicycle for the team leader’s car. The Rijenaar (51) has not been active in cycling for the last three years, but ‘Jerommeke’ will return in 2024. This does mean that he will have to quit his current sporting job.
Jeroen temporarily said goodbye to cycling in 2020 after leaving CCC-Liv. He was not very actively looking for a new job in top sport, but in a podcast by former cyclist John den Braber he said he was open to it. “I came into contact with the American team Lidl-Trek through someone else. I want to prove myself again after a few years of absence. You are only as good as your last match. I’m going into it with great enthusiasm.”
“Women are more likely to opt for an assist instead of scoring themselves.”
He worked for many years as a team leader for both men and women. A clear difference according to Jeroen. “The real top players in the women’s peloton dare a lot, but a large group is too cautious.” He compares it to playing football. There too, men are more competitive than women, he believes. “Men often want to have the ball and then shoot at goal. Many women are more likely to opt for an assist instead of scoring themselves. As a team leader, I realize that this requires a certain approach, something I have experienced in practice for years.”
A male team leader for a women’s team is absolutely no problem, Jeroen thinks. “You increasingly see former cyclists who start working for women.” And his working method fits in perfectly with that, he thinks. “I think I did my job as a team leader properly and I have always remained myself. I heard that Annemiek van Vleuten mentioned me as one of the people who were important in her career. I don’t dwell on that for too long, but her words do me good.”
“Anyone can learn things.”
Annemiek van Vleuten and Marianne Vos are two world-class athletes who were part of Jeroen’s team in the past. But he also gets energy from working with talents. “Everyone can learn things, at any level. I will guide and motivate the cyclists as best as possible with my experience. That is a great challenge.”
Due to his return as team leader, Jeroen, who lives in Meerle, Belgium, is quitting his current job. “After leaving cycling in 2020, I first became a personal coach. In the end I didn’t like it. I didn’t feel like sitting at home so I became a postman. A nice job: nice in the open air, start early and finish early.”