Junior Lecerf: “I’m even more motivated to do another good season”

The 22-year-old Belgian climber talked about his first year in the pro ranks and the hopes he has for 2025.

“I signed a contract for one year with the Soudal Quick-Step Devo team that was linked with a three-year deal with the World Tour.

That first year in the under 23 ranks was really good for me: I had good results and I was quite confident and felt ready to go to the World Tour squad. I already knew quite a lot of the people, so it was easier to adapt to the move and it didn’t feel like a really big change. It was still a challenge, and I am really happy with this first season, and now I’m even more motivated to do another good season in 2025, that can be even better than this year.

I never felt some pressure when I joined the men’s team.

I just enjoyed it and did my best, and it worked out really well. I didn’t have a lot of bad luck, so that also helps. But I didn't feel any pressure and I just had fun with the team. If you feel good, then I think the results will come. Of course, I worked hard for it but if you feel good, I think it’s already a big advantage.”

A strong start

“My first race of the year was at the Saudi Tour. In my opinion it was my best race until now. I trained hard the whole winter to be in shape for the first race, and I really wanted to prove something, I surprised myself because I hoped to do top 10 or something like that, but to be able to almost win the whole thing was quite a good performance.

The final of the last stage was on a brutal climb to Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid: only two or three kilometres long, but like it’s just a wall with a 15% average. But that was really to my advantage because I’m one of the lightest riders in the peloton. I perform well on the steeper climbs, but I don’t really know yet what my favourites are. In the Vuelta I also did some good performances on more long climbs, so I still really don’t know what I’m the best at, but I think I need to discover this with the trainers of the team and the staff, and we will see in the next two years, I think.

Normally you don’t expect my type of rider from northern Belgium but from last year and the year before I have stayed a lot in Spain to train the hills. If you have to stay in Belgium it’s not ideal for my type of rider, so I’m working on it and I try to take another step forward and stay in Tenerife and train a lot of altitude meters. I think it’s necessary if you want to be a good climber. If you just stay in Belgium and train on the flat then of course you can ride and do good results, but if I really want to get the most out of myself, I think I have to train here and do a lot of climbing meters.”

Back to Rwanda and the World Tour debut

“It was important for me to join the Devo Team again in Rwanda. I rode the race in 2023 and I wanted to come back to try to win a stage there. The year before I was always close but finished second, third or fourth, so I wanted to return and win. I also really enjoyed my time in the Devo team with Kevin Hulsmans. We really have a good relationship, so it’s nice to also do some races again with him. We always have great times together and in Rwanda it was also like that.

My first World Tour race was at the Volta a Catalunya. I finished 12th in the first stage in an uphill finish. It was quite nice, but then I suffered on the longer climbs, and I was a little bit less good. It was also my first race at this level, so I couldn’t be disappointed – I was not the last rider! And it was a good experience and a nice race, which I’m going to do I think a lot in the future, so it was important for me to discover it this year, and now I know how it is and I can look forward to the next years

Also, it was nice that for the first time I helped the team to reach a goal and we finished second with Mikel, behind Pogacar, which almost felt like a victory for us! I was able to help Mikel in the last stages, on the uphill parts, so he was happy for me and that was also important. I enjoyed helping the other riders of the team because for me it was one of the best team performances that I was involved in this year.

I didn’t expect at the beginning of the season to be racing big classics like Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Lombardia, so it was nice that I could already get the chance to be at the start. I think they are the two Monuments that suit me the most. Unfortunately, at Liège I crashed, and with the poor weather, it was quite disappointing, but it was still a nice experience.

And then, Lombardia is always a nice race. I really looked forward to it because I won the U23 event last year, and now to be at the start with Remco was special. I stayed with the team for a long time, as we always spend one week or two weeks in Italy and it always makes for a nice group feeling. And then to be at the start with Remco, it was something special. I was a little bit disappointed because I had already made it into the breakaway, which was strong and went quite far into the race and I would have really enjoyed being part of it, but I had a flat tire just as it was forming.  That was quite a little bit disappointing, but I still could help a little bit for Remco, and I was happy to be part of the team.”

Racing the Vuelta

“At the beginning of the season, I always said I would really like to be at the start of a Grand Tour, but the team couldn’t give me a guarantee. So, I was really motivated to do my best and to prove to them that I was ready and that I was at the right level. I was happy to get chosen for La Vuelta because I think it’s the one that suits me the most. Of course, at the start I was doubting how it would be and how it would turn out because I never rode a Grand Tour. I’m still young so we don’t know how the body reacts, but I was really surprised that it went so well – better than even I expected. I only had two or three days where I had bad legs and suffered a little bit, but I think it’s normal.

I had some good stages. I tried two times to be in the break, but when I was in it went to the finish. There were only five, so it was already like a top five spot guaranteed, but then in the final was a little bit difficult to play because Van Aert was also in and then you know, it will become difficult against him.

I will take all these experiences for the next few years.

Most of this year I was delighted to be there to help the team. On stage 20, the penultimate stage, I was really happy, because it was after three weeks and then I could still pull until the bottom of the last climb, when there were only 20 riders left. I was really surprised that I made it there and I just gave everything for the team.

The biggest thing I have learnt this year is that my body reacts well in Grand Tours. I think it’s important for the future because I still felt quite good in the second and third week. It is important that my body is not tired and empty after one week. It was important that I made some results already because I also want to continue, to go for the win in the races where I think it’s possible and then build from there. And in the bigger races, to help the team with Remco to win as much as possible.”

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