Maarten Wynants

Belgian road bicycle racer

Rider (retired)
Directeur sportif

Amateur team2004Jong Vlaanderen 2016 Professional teams2005–2006Chocolade Jacques–T Interim2007–2010Quick-Step–Innergetic2011–2021Rabobank^[2]^[3] Managerial team2021–Team Jumbo–Visma

Maarten Wynants (born 13 May 1982) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2021 for the Chocolade Jacques–Topsport Vlaanderen, Quick-Step and Team Jumbo–Visma teams.^[4] He now works as a directeur sportif for his final professional team, UCI WorldTeam Visma–Lease a Bike.^[4]

Career

Born in Hasselt, Wynants was awarded the Combativity award, given to a rider judged to have showed exceptional attacking spirit during the race, following Stage 1 of the 2010 Tour de France on 4 July. Attacking in the first kilometre, he continued to lead from the front until both he and Alexandr Pliushin of Team Katusha were caught by the peloton just 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) from the end of the 225.5-kilometre (140.1-mile) stage.^[5]

In June 2020, Wynants announced that he would retire from cycling in April 2021, after that year's Paris–Roubaix.^[6]^[7] Following the postponement of Paris–Roubaix to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France, Wynants' final race occurred at the Tour of Flanders.^[4]

Major results

2004: 1st Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships; 10th Grand Prix de Waregem
2005: 3rd Hel van het Mergelland
2006: 1st Grote Prijs Beeckman-De Caluwé; 7th Overall Ster Elektrotoer
2007: 3rd Halle–Ingooigem; 5th Overall Ster Elektrotoer; 9th Overall Circuit Franco-Belge; 10th Overall Volta ao Algarve
2008: 3rd Trofeo Sóller; 5th Le Samyn; 6th Paris–Brussels; 6th Grand Prix de Fourmies
2010: Combativity award Stage 1 Tour de France
2011: 7th Overall Tour of Belgium
2012: 3rd Overall Tour de l'Eurométropole; 7th Binche–Tournai–Binche; 8th Dwars door Vlaanderen; 10th Overall Tour of Belgium; 10th Paris–Roubaix
2013: 2nd Trofeo Platja de Muro; 9th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
2014: 6th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
2016: 9th Le Samyn; 9th Tour de l'Eurométropole
2017: 2nd Omloop van het Houtland; 3rd Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde
2018: 1st Stage 5 (TTT) Tour of Britain

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Giro d'Italia	—	—	—	—	DNF	—	—	—
Tour de France	—	116	—	DNF	132	117	—	138
/ Vuelta a España	113	—	—	—	—	—	DNF	—

Legend
—	Did not compete
DNF	Did not finish

References

^ ^a ^b "Wynants, Maarten". Quick Step. 2010. Archived from the original on 25 February 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
^ "Team Jumbo-Visma 2020 roster presented in Amsterdam". Bianchi. F.I.V. Edoardo Bianchi S.p.A. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
^ "Jumbo-Visma". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Maarten Wynants says goodbye after seventeen years as a professional cyclist". Team Jumbo–Visma. Team Oranje Road BV. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
^ "Profile: Maarten Wynants". Quick Step Cycling. 2010. Retrieved 4 July 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Wynants set for retirement after 2021 Paris-Roubaix". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
^ "Jumbo-Visma extend contracts with Eenkhoorn, Hofstede, Roosen and Pfingsten". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021. As announced in June, Maarten Wynants is also on a short 2021 contract, and will retire following next season's Paris-Roubaix to become a sports director on the team [...]