04.03.2025
While Tudor Pro Cycling Pro Team has been racing for weeks, the Devo Team is just about to launch its season this weekend in France at Le Tour de 100 Communes and Grand Prix Lillers.
Boris Zimine, Head Sports Director, and Jens Voet, Head Coach, outline their ambitions for the year, emphasizing that development remains at the core of everything they do.
A Season Built on Growth
"We don’t like to set race-specific goals for the season because our DNA is about development," Boris explains. "Every race, we compete with the same mindset: a clear plan, well-defined roles for each rider, and a focus on getting the best possible result through learning and adaptation."
Of course, the team has some key races on the horizon. Boris highlights major blocks such as the Youngster Coast Challenge in Belgium, Olympia’s Tour in the Netherlands, Tour de Bretagne in France, and Giro Next Gen in Italy.
Building Bonds Beyond the Bike
The Devo Team fully embraces a spirit of growth both on and off the bike. Next to hotels, riders often stay in shared houses where they take on everyday responsibilities alongside training.
"The idea is simple: they should understand and appreciate what the team does for them," says Jens, fresh from a training camp in Spain. "For a week, they planned their own meals, cooked, and cleaned up together. It wasn’t just good fun—it helped them build team spirit and responsibility."
Living together also fosters deeper connections. "Last week, we had four riders with completely different profiles from three different countries—Robin Donzé and Diego Casagrande as climbers and from Switzerland, and Mathias Guillemette from Canada and Jackson Medway from Australia as sprinters. They couldn’t always train together, but they planned their routes to meet up for endurance rides," Jens explains.
With nine different nationalities in the Team, cultural exchange is another strength. Boris recalls an example from the Get Together Camp in Livigno last November: "On a mountain bike ride, the path was broken. Instead of turning back, the riders formed a human chain, passing their bikes forward until everyone made it through. That problem-solving mindset is what we love to see."
Long-Term Development Over Short-Term Gains
Setting individual performance goals is a delicate balance. "During recruitment and before the season starts, we work with each rider to understand their vision and create a performance plan," Boris says. "At this age, we don’t assign fixed roles. Instead, we give them opportunities to explore their potential."
From a training perspective, the focus is on long-term growth. "When moving up from the junior category, race distances increase significantly, so our first step is to build endurance," Jens explains. "This means high-volume training, sometimes at the expense of immediate results. But we believe this investment will pay off in their future careers. They’re still physically maturing, and it’s crucial for them to try different training approaches to discover what kind of riders they can become."
Teaching Riders to Listen to Their Bodies
Managing young athletes also comes with challenges. "As coaches, we create training plans and provide support, but we also allow them to make mistakes," Jens says. "Learning by doing is essential. We encourage them to explore their capabilities, understand their bodies, and not just focus on power numbers. Performance is important, but combining it with fun is the key to long-term success."
For Boris, the mission goes beyond building pro riders. "Our main goal is to develop the best possible riders for tomorrow, but just as importantly, to help them grow as individuals. Many riders come to us to talk about personal topics, and that makes us proud. They should never forget that their life isn’t just about cycling."
The Team officially kicks off its season this weekend, but some riders have already begun their campaigns. Tudor “veteran” Robin Donzé and newcomer Arno Wallenborn raced with the Pro Team in Portugal in mid-February, while Norwegian Jesper Stiansen will make his debut tomorrow at Trofeo Laigueglia.
The season is here, and for the Devo Team, it's not just about results—it's about the journey of becoming the best versions of themselves, on and off the bike.
Line-Up Tour de 100 Communes and Grand Prix Lillers:
Samuele Alari (ITA)
Victor Benareau (SUI)
Roman Holzer (SUI)
Kryštof Král (CZE)
Oliver Mätik (EST)
Jesper Stiansen (NOR)
Photo: Filip Bezdek