Van den Berg renews with team

Since the Dutchman turned professional in 2018, EF is the only outfit he’s ridden for and he couldn’t be happier about it. “It’s a great opportunity to stay with the team. I’m really happy,” van den Berg says. “This year I had the opportunity to do some really nice races and even to go for my own result in a few races, as well as helping the race leaders in some bigger races. This was an ideal combination and I want to keep going in this direction.”

This past season marked a coming of age for the 25-year-old rider. At the Tour of Poland, van den Berg won the final stage with a massive sprint, claiming his first WorldTour win. “I knew that if I got in the breakaway, I could make it work. That victory was a highlight of my season.”

He also rode the Giro d’Italia for the first time, his second Grand Tour. “Last year I did my first Grand Tour, that was the Vuelta, and this year the Giro. To have three weeks in Italy while racing in the new Rapha kit was really cool.”

Let’s not forget the mudfest that was Paris-Roubiax. “It was a really cool ride to do. The mud made it….I don’t know the word for it.” He pauses. “Heroic. It was really something special.”

“Julius is a wonderful presence on our team,” says Jonathan Vaughters, team CEO. “He works tremendously hard and it absolutely shows. He’s the kind of rider who is always there when you need him, whether he’s supporting a teammate or going for the result himself. To have someone so dependable and charismatic is such an asset.”

Reflecting on what he has learned with EF so far, van den Berg says, “How to be a professional. I’ve learned from working with big riders, riding with them and seeing how they do their job and seeing what they do to try to become the best. I’ve learned a lot from them about how to become a better rider. My goal is to be a better version of myself and to develop a little bit every year.”

Van den Berg has clear thoughts about the future. “I want to do more finals,” he says. “The step from continental to WorldTour is really big and the race finals are hard. It would be really nice if I could make a step and go further in the final of WorldTour races.”

There is one other goal he’s been thinking about in the off-season. “Maybe winning again. That would be pretty cool!”