“The freedom. The speed. That’s what I loved as a kid about my bike, and that’s what I still love today.” For Timo Kielich, there was only ever one thing. He never pulled on shin pads and football boots on a rainy Tuesday evening, or tried his hand on the basketball or handball court. For Timo, the love for cycling came at a very young age and it never left him.

Growing up in the cycling-mad country of Belgium, it was nothing unusual for Timo’s dad to take him and his brother to the cycling club for a standard 45-kilometer loop on Sundays. At first, Timo simply enjoyed spending time outdoors and riding trails on a mountain bike, but before long, racing on two wheels became his primary weekend activity, though at the beginning only on fat tires.

“I never did anything other than cycling. I loved it right away, especially the downhills. I would always take risks and push myself to go as fast as possible. I could go wherever I wanted, and that gave me a lot of joy and motivation for the sport,” he says about his early days as a mountain biker.

As Timo got older, another type of racing in the mud came calling, as cyclocross made its way into his schedule. It turned out to be perfectly suited to his mix of physical and technical talent, and Timo rode his way to a national U23 title. An injury then forced him to miss an entire cyclocross winter and instead pushed him to give road racing a serious try. Once again, this proved to be a good decision. In 2021, he was signed by the Alpecin–Deceuninck Development Team.

There, he spent three years collecting several strong results before his big breakthrough came in 2023. A hugely successful spring and early summer culminated in a stage win at the Tour de Wallonie, and naturally he stepped up to the WorldTour the following year. That also meant he finally got the chance to race the events he loves more than anything. “My favorite races are the spring classics, especially Paris–Roubaix. I love the history of the races, and I remember watching Johan Museeuw and Tom Boonen ride them when I was young. They suit me quite well too, as I’m neither a pure sprinter nor a climber, but I can do a bit of both and I can use my technical skills in this type of race. If I could choose just one race to win, it would be Roubaix,” Kielich says.

In 2024 and 2025, multiple impressive domestique performances in the big classics, as well as victories in the Volta NXT Classic and the Antwerp Port Epic - the latter a win Kielich calls the biggest of his career so far - confirmed his talent for hard one-day races. It’s also something he will target in 2026, when he lines up in the black-and-yellow colors of Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

The first foundations for a successful debut season as a Yellow Bee were already laid in December at the team’s training camp in Spain, where Kielich really got to know his new teammates. It was a great week with good training, he recalls and one thing stood out immediately. “Everyone here is very focused on ‘Blanco Koers.’ The culture is everything. That makes it a very nice and safe environment to be in, because everything is clear. We know what to expect from each other, and that feels really good.”

As a Belgian classics rider with a background in cyclocross, a fast finish, and solid climbing legs, Kielich naturally shares a few similarities with Wout van Aert. The two compatriots shared a room during the December training camp and will hopefully spend plenty of time together near the front of the races this spring. “Wout and I started doing a few training rides together when I signed with the team. He’s just a normal guy, and we get along well. When I finish my career one day, it will be quite special to say that I worked with both Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert.”  

Favorite meal:
“As a kid, I always ordered pasta carbonara, but now I would say pizza burrata.”

Favorite holiday destination:
“My girlfriend and I went to Thailand, which I really liked. The people are super friendly and the nature is amazing. I would love to go back. Other than that, I loved Lake Garda when I was younger.”

Favorite type of music:
“Normally I just listen to what’s on the radio, but I also really like après-ski music.”

Hobby outside of cycling:
“Cycling has always been my only hobby, but recently I tried imitating a famous painter, which I really liked. I’ve only done it once so far, but I’d like to do it again.”

What do people not know about you yet? 
“I can understand German perfectly well, but I can’t speak it. My grandma was German, and my dad taught us German, but he never expected us to speak it. So I know the language, but I can’t really speak it.”