New to the team: Fauve Bastiaenssen signs with AG Insurance – Soudal for two years

AG Insurance – Soudal is thrilled to welcome Fauve Bastiaenssen to the team for the next two years. With a strong background in sports and a deep-rooted passion for cycling, Fauve is ready to bring her energy and experience to the squad. Get to know more about her journey, her inspirations, and her goals as she embarks on this exciting new chapter.

I grew up in a cycling family, so from a young age, there was always racing on TV, and I would go along to local races with my dad. My big idol when I was younger was Tom Boonen. I even had the full Quick-Step kit, a Tornado Tom t-shirt, a poster on my wall, and I would stand in line by the team bus after the Scheldeprijs to get his autograph. Those were special times for me.

During the season, I'm definitely a pasta lover—my homemade spaghetti bolognese is always a hit. And rice cakes with speculoos spread are so delicious that I don’t just eat them during training; I also love snacking on them in general.

Before I got into cycling, I used to play basketball. That was and still is a passion of mine. In general, I’m really interested in anything related to sports. I studied Physical Education and Movement Sciences at the University of Leuven, and for the past few years, I’ve also worked as a PE teacher. I watch a lot of sports as well, so my life pretty much revolves around it.

When it comes to training or vacation destinations, I don’t have a specific favorite spot, but I love discovering new places. Recently, I went to Andorra, which is an absolutely stunning location, but Spain is always ideal for training too. I’ve been fortunate enough to explore many beautiful places in my life, such as Cuba, the USA, China, Russia, and almost all of Europe. As long as there’s beautiful nature and good food, I’m happy.

I don’t have a strict pre-race ritual, but I do like to get into the zone by blasting some good music. I also have a 'good luck bra' or 'good luck sunglasses,' but if I have a bad race with them, I might quickly switch it up!

When it comes to music, I’m more of a podcast person during training. I listen to sports and current affairs podcasts, but also things like 'De Volksjury,' 'Welcome to the AA,' and 'Nerdland.' I’ve probably listened to hundreds of hours of podcasts. However, for the tougher intervals in training, I do sometimes switch to some hard-hitting beats. In general, I listen to whatever comes on the radio.

What attracted me to join AG Insurance - Soudal was the way the team always starts as one solid block and shows itself with an aggressive racing style. You can see that it’s a team on the rise, one that wants to keep evolving and professionalizing. The atmosphere always seems great too (like we saw on Alpe d’Huez). The riders and staff really stick together, which is wonderful to see. And of course, a good offer and the chance to turn pro were also significant factors in my decision.

I see myself primarily in a supporting role within the team, helping the leaders as much as possible and assisting them in achieving great results and hopefully victories, especially in the flatter races and classics. I also hope to occasionally have a freer role to showcase the team in breakaways or achieve a strong result.

My personal goals for the 2025 season are mainly focused on the spring classics. I really want to make a name for myself during this period, aiming for top results with the team and hopefully a standout performance for myself. I’m particularly thinking of races like Nokere Koerse, the Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix.

Within AG Insurance - Soudal, I hope to continue developing in the classics, aiming to be competitive in the final stages of these races. I also want to improve my climbing to better support the team in this area. I believe I can make these strides with the help of the professional support system at AG Insurance - Soudal and by riding alongside high-level teammates. The fact that I can now fully dedicate myself to cycling (as I previously combined it with my work as a teacher) and that I’ve only been racing for a few years makes me believe that I can still make significant progress.

As I prepare to transition to a new team, I’m looking forward to getting to know my teammates and the staff, especially after meeting some of them at the Tour’s after-party. But more importantly, I’m focusing on having a solid offseason to physically prepare myself for the new season. I’m really excited to meet everyone and get ready together during the preparation camps.