One of the heartlands of cycling where enthusiastic fans abode and the sport’s rich history is intertwined with that of the country; Team dsm-firmenich PostNL are excited to announce that they will bolster their Men, Women and Development programs with some exciting young Belgian talents. 

 

After showing promise with the Development program, Robbe Dhondt will be promoted to the Men’s program in 2025, contracted with the team through the 2027 season. Coming from the juniors, Ella Heremans makes the step across the border as she becomes a part of the Women’s program, while Matteo Vanhuffel and Xander Scheldeman also make their progression from the junior ranks to join the Development program. Heremans, Scheldeman and Vanhuffel will wear the team’s colours for the next two years at least. 

Robbe Dhondt

A consistent opening to his first year in the juniors saw Dhondt collect several top ten results in challenging Belgian one-day races such as Nokere Juniors and in 2022 he continued that with a superb solo win at Gipuzkoa Klasikoa and a fourth place at the European championships road race. Those results saw Dhondt join Team dsm-firmenich PostNL’s Development program in 2023 but his opening year in the U23 ranks was stunted due to injury. Hoping to put that behind him, Dhondt regained that racing rhythm in the opening part of 2024 where he supported his teammates and looked to get those racing kilometres back in. A fifth place in the Belgian time trial championships hinted that Dhondt was on the way back to where he was, before he made his debut alongside the Men’s program at Tour de Hongrie. The end of May saw Dhondt continue his good form with a brilliant third place on stage four at the Alpes Isère Tour; a race he would go on to claim 12^th on GC. Once more he would get a taste of pro racing on home roads at the Belgian Tour, but an unfortunate crash at Valle d’Aosta saw his 2024 campaign come to a premature end.

Click here for quotes from Dhondt and coaching staff.  

Ella Heremans

Coming from Heist-op-den-Berg in Belgium, Heremans is in her second year of racing as a junior where she has shown potential over a variety of parcours and races. In 2023, she won the time trial at PK Antwerpen before going on to finish eighth overall at the notoriously tough Tour de Gévaudan Occitanie. She followed this up with second in the national championships road race, before another handful of top five results throughout the year, including an impressive second place at the junior version of GP Plouay. This season has seen Heremans further develop as she gains experience in the peloton combining that alongside continuing her schoolwork. Another consistent set of races in spring resulted in wins at Ottergem and Boezinge, alongside a second place in the Belgian national time trial championships; highlighting her range of skills as a rider. The latter half of the year saw her represent her country at the European championships where she helped her teammates, before a solid ride in challenging conditions at the World Championships.
 

Click here for quotes from Heremans and coaching staff.  

Photo Credit: Gussev Photo

Xander Scheldeman

Hailing from Koolskamp in the West Flanders region of Belgium, Scheldeman has progressed through his age group categories, riding against some of the best from his home nation and further afield in Europe. His opening season in the junior category in 2023 saw him learn the ropes from his older teammates, where Scheldeman rode strongly as a teammate, but that didn’t stop him from collecting some good results himself with podium finishes at Roeselare and on stage two at Boucles de l’Oise Juniors, and multiple other top tens throughout the campaign. Taking that opening year with him into the 2024 season, Scheldeman has continued to further develop and taken good results over a variety of terrain and in different competitions, highlighting his versatility and potential as a rider; from time trials to reduced sprints, to a great second place over the cobbles at Nokere Koerse.

Click here for quotes from Scheldeman and coaching staff.   

Matteo Vanhuffel

Young Belgian talent Vanhuffel has progressed his way steadily through the junior category with his team Wielerclub Onder Ons Parike. With a profile that suits the climbs more than the flatlands, Vanhuffel used his opening year in 2023 to find his feet, helping his teammates where he could, but there were glimpses of his talents on the climbs at races such as Valromey Juniors and Philippe Gilbert Juniors where he picked up fourth and fifth respectively in the first-year junior category. This season has seen Vanhuffel continue to develop at a steady rate, with some nice top fives in the earlier part of the year, including a fifth place in the Belgian national championships road race. The latter part of 2024 has seen Vanhuffel showcase his talents with ninth overall at Valromey Juniors, second at Tour du Léman Juniors and an 11^th place at the hilly Giro Lunigiana Juniors.  

Click here for quotes from Vanhuffel and coaching staff.