The days of injuries, depression, and the thousand doubts between continuing to persist and giving up seem truly distant. For years Thalita De Jong lived her cycling career on a swing, thinking a thousand times about giving up and a thousand times relaunching based on his ambitions. Finally he found peace, serenity, his body began to respond., until this truly successful, sparkling 2024.
CAREER We had told it some time ago, but we had never lost sight of it and finally today we can tell a different story, together with her, available and "chatty" as they define her in her environment at Lotto DstnyAnd knowing what she's been through, hearing her speak is a pleasure, finally being able to talk about victories and not suffering.
Did you expect such a positive season?
I've always worked hard during the winter season and also between races, so I knew my level was trending upwardsAlthough you have to improve a little every year because everyone is stronger than the year before. So every time you start a new season, it's always a surprise to see where you stand compared to your opponents. I actually knew I was strong, but I didn't know how strong and I couldn't believe I was so consistent at such a high level. I'm enjoying it to the fullest, it's fantastic that everything is going so well.
You haven't won since 2022, what has changed since then?
I won some Belgian kermesses and Dutch criteriums, but also a UCI race, the GP de Mouscron. Since June 2022, I've been riding in a WWT team where there were clearly two leaders: one rider for the sprints and one for the climbs and stage races.We worked for years, and I didn't hold back and did my part. Now I have my own chances and can run for myself. Not much has changed, except that I have a lot of confidence in myself and in the people around me.
The major physical problems from 2017 to 2021 are now forgotten, but what did that long, hard experience leave you with?
Much. That you only have “friends” in good times and not when things are bad. That the world is quite selfish. It has really made me stronger as the person I am and I know what I can expect from other people. I learned that you only have one body, so I take care of it as always, but now everything is going well and that makes things much easier.
This year you've already scored 5 wins and 46 top 10s: was there a particular race where you realized something had changed?
Not a specific race, I look at the whole season at a high level, in which I only missed the top step of the podium that I deserved a few times, but from Tour de France and from Tour de Ardeche you can see all my hard work paying offIt's great, but I already knew I was going strong. So maybe the wins were the icing on the cake.
Are stage races your ideal sport?
I knew from my early years that Stage races suit me well, my body has excellent recovery skills, but it also depends on the type of race. From the routes, to get a good result, if they suit my characteristics. But I definitely like stage races!
Have you completely put cyclocross aside or are you thinking of returning to some racing?
There's not enough time to combine both things properly. I'm racing for a road racing team, so I have to do a full season on the road, The calendar is already busy from February until mid-October, so there is not much time to rest and prepare for the new seasonI like cyclocross, but I have to put it aside as a fond memory of the past.
How much did joining Lotto impact your season, and how much does the fact that it's not a WorldTour team impact your season?
They gave me “freedom” in the winter and during the season. I was able to manage my schedule of races, training and rest periods.With my experience of so many years, they believed in me and in what I did, and that also helps. I've always had a good balance between rest/training/competition and not too much pressure.Obviously, I felt pressure in the races because I was the one who had to bring home a good result, on any type of course. But they also knew that for this I had to manage myself and only be present at the end or already halfway through the race, so it wasn't easier to achieve a high-level result.
What do you appreciate about the Belgian team?
The fact that I like it a lot working with younger female cyclists who also need to learn and grow, so sometimes it's not that they didn't want to, but they just couldn't help me. Even Working with sports director Grace Verbeke, a former Tour of Flanders winner, was super nice. We learned from each other and had a “special band”, we compared and listened to each other.
At this point, what are your ambitions for next year?
Winning a major UCI race, make progress on multiple aspects and work as a team to achieve each of our goals.
